Chaotic: Shattered Barriers
by ChaoticWriterCrazy
Summary: The lines between Perim and Chaotic are becoming blurred. The quiet lull they had fallen into is violently shattered when the one thing they all thought impossible becomes an all too real and horrifying reality. The future of Perim is jeopardized once more, but now even Chaotic is no longer safe. Just what do the M'arrillians want with Chaotic Players?
1. It all goes wrong

**Hello again. Last year I wanted to try and write a fanfiction for Chaotic that I really was determined to finish...but then real life got in the way. A combination of family drama, school drama, and my own desire to become the author of my own original work drew my attention away, and sadly most of my original documents and ideas for Lost Warriors were lost to the sands of time (I.E I forgot). **

**_However_, I have a new idea that hopefully I'll actually finish this time. **

**Y'all can thank CoalTreasure and ChaoticCommander for this, their respective fanfics are what inspired me to come back to this fandom with my own ideas.**

**Disclaimer, I don't own Chaotic, otherwise this would be an actual cartoon rather than a fanfic.**

**Warnings for mild language, general violence, and OC's that will be playing a major part but aren't the focus of the story. Or they will be the focus in different chapters, but that's because they both have their own tribes I need to flesh out.**

**Edit: I've re-written the chapter. Normally speaking this would only bring about minor changes, except for the fact that the chapter went from 3116 words to _5390__ HOLY_****_ SHIT._**

* * *

It was a bright and sunny day in Chaotic, it always was. The futuristic 'rest stop' between earth and Perim rarely varied in weather, always in perpetually pleasant weather. The surprisingly massive place held countless numbers of humans, mostly consisting of children ranging from ten to eighteen with the odd first-grader and adult here and there. Most were compiled into the Port Court, a place where players communed to discuss strategies and past battles while watching the current ones on the screens. Another large chunk were at the Trading Stations, touch-pad tables where they traded unneeded or unwanted scans with each other for profit in their future battles. Others were simply wandering about aimlessly, content to dozing off in the noon-day sun under the odd tree, or simply riding the monorail for the sake of it.

Chaotic was, surprisingly, nice. Despite holding a vast array of cultures, ideals, and different walks of life, fights were unusual outside of the Dromes, the places where they took their card game to an unimaginable new level. Maybe it was because of the adrenaline-addicting intensity of the battles, maybe it was the convenience of a universal translator, maybe it was because most of them were children, but Chaotic was surprisingly peaceful, especially in contrast to its Perim counterpart.

People just got along for the most part. Chaotic was like a theme park without the overpriced everything, it was a place that once you went to it, it was hard to stay in a bad mood.

_Most_ of the time anyway, there were times when Chaotic had its moments. The aftermath of the M'arrillian invasion came quickly to mind. And currently there was one player who seemed to be in an agitated mood as he and three others approached the pinkish-violet Drome.

"Okay seriously how come I'm only _just_ hearing about this tribe?" Tom Majors, dark raven-haired boy with tanned skin and bright blue eyes demanded. His skin had only gotten darker with the late summer months, which made his currently narrowed eyes stand out more than they usually did. "Code-Master matches are one thing, _but an entire freaking tribe_ is something else!"

When Tom Majors had first arrived in Chaotic almost two years ago, there had been four tribes. His tribe, the Overworlders, was mostly consisted of either humanoid or anthropomorphic mammals with the odd arachnid here and there. They populated the forests and mountain ranges of the Overworld, and they were what many considered the 'chivalrous' tribe. They valued loyalty and ethics, fighting for what they believed was right and never compromising on those ethics, even when it cost them dearly. That said, they weren't without their faults. They were stubborn and unyielding, it took a lot to change an Overworlder's mind even when they were wrong, and they could be very cold to anyone who wasn't a member of their tribe (this was true of any tribe, but Overworlders were supposed to be the 'open minded' tribe).

Underworlders, the tribe that his best friend Kaz proudly supported, were the subterranean counterparts to the Overworlders. They were consisted of gargoyle like to demonic creatures with an affinity for flames. At first glance, they might be dubbed the 'evil' tribe. They were ruthless, warlike, and violent, sometimes outright cruel. There was no 'playing dirty' for them, anything was a viable means of victory. Or..so everyone thought. Despite being much harsher and violent than the other tribes, they weren't completely without their morals or loyalties, they were much more _selective_. And would never openly admit to it.

This was proven by the very, _very_ odd friendship Kaz had somehow managed to strike up with his hero Chaor, the ruler of the Underworld. Tom and his other two friends were convinced no other player could get away with half the things the redhead was able to pull while on Chaor's watch, even if the gargoyle denied it.

Mipedians were the dragon-like lizard people of the deserts, and were the preferred tribe of the PeytonicMaster, or just Peyton. They were secretive and reclusive, only just barely tolerating the presence of Chaotic-Players in their oasis at first. Long term Mipedian players like Peyton discovered that the longer you spend around the Mipedians, the more they surprisingly open up. Although they had yet to go into any satisfying detail, many Mipedians did seem to enjoy feeding their human friends little tidbits about their culture and society. And Peyton was able to charm his way into friendships with a lot of Mipedians without too much trouble. At least he didn't have to risk his life as Tom had to...several times.

Danians, who their only female companion Sarah represented, were easily the most reclusive of the tribes, the ant-like creatures hell bent on keeping any and all players out of Mount Pillar with little success up until about a month ago. That was when Queen Aszil took the throne. As it turned out, the former Princess had something of a mild fascination with humans, after hearing so many stories of humans managing to get past their infamously thorough security. She allowed Danian players in, granted under supervision of those willing, which there was a surprising number of (apparently Wamma wasn't the only Danian who let a favorite in), and those who didn't have a brown scanner were liable to get thrown in prison. But compared to how they were before, it was a vast improvement.

Four tribes, and that was it. That was how it was for his first year in Chaotic.

And then came his second year, and with it, a fifth tribe.

The M'arillians, or as he liked to call them, the _actual_ 'evil tribe' of Perim.

In the one year they were active before the other tribes banded together to stop them, they had managed to brainwash almost half of Perim, flooded a good chunk of Perim, drowned a good number of creatures, overthrew Chaor, drove the Danians out of Mount Pillar, nearly caused the literal end of the freaking world, they were a tribe that nobody liked. Honestly it was probably the best damn thing to happen in Perim when Maxxor, Chaor, and Iparu managed to defeat their leader Aa'une and cut off their brainwashing

So, there were five tribes, if you could count what was left of the M'arrillians a 'tribe.'

Until today.

Because, as it turned out, there was a _sixth_ tribe.

Well actually, if you wanted to get technical about it, the _Glacians_ were there before the M'arrillians so _they_ were the fifth tribe while the freaky flying fish-people were the sixth.

This is what had Tom in such a bad moon.

Why did his friends forget to tell him these things? Why did they always assume that he somehow knew everything going in? It was like Code Master matches, only worse because_ IT WAS AN ENTIRE FREAKING TRIBE THEY FORGOT TO TELL HIM ABOUT._

_HOW DO YOU FORGET TO TELL SOMEONE ABOUT** AN ENTIRE TRIBE.**_

"Dude," Peyton, a large boy with dark chestnut hair and a pale complexion said sagely. "Glacian Players have only been a thing for about a few months. We didn't even know about them until _yesterday _when they announced yer next opponent. Glacians are so secretive and reclusive that they make _Mipedians_ look like open books and _Danians_ look like they're on permanent open house."

"_Oh_." Tom said simply, his earlier agitation quelled. So it wasn't a case of they forgot to tell him something he should know, this was new information for them as well. "Well, what can you tell me about them?"

"Nuttin." Peyton stated simply.

"_Excuse_ me?" Tom asked with an incredulous laugh.

"Like Peyton said, Glacians are reclusive and secretive." Kaz explained, a not quite as pale but still pale boy with bright red hair and a small frame. Unlike Tom he avoided the summer sun because he didn't so much tan as he did _freckle_, and a lot. He had however grown a bit, and almost matched Tom in height, though this made his skinny frame seem all the more exaggerated. "The only way to become a Glacian player is to beat Code Master Amzen after beating another Glacian player for your seventh match, which is what you're about to do."

"But I don't _want_ to be a Glacian Player," Tom protested indignantly folding his arms almost childishly, "I _like_ being an Overworld Player!"

He didn't even want to think about what his Overworld friends might say had they found out he even considered switching his alignment.

"You don't _have_ to become a Glacian Player after you beat Code Master Amzen." Sarah assured with a roll of her eyes, giving Tom a reassuring pat on the back. She was the smallest of them, with bright blonde hair and large green eyes, though she was a force unto herself when provoked, both in and out of the dromes. "The process is just to give you a taste of what you're in for, both the benefits and the drawbacks of being associated with the Glacians."

"I thought you guys said that you didn't know anything about them." Tom said.

"As a people, no we've got _jackshit_." Kaz confirmed. His language had gotten a lot more colorful as of late, a side effect of Underworlders no longer feeling the need to watch what they say now that he was older.

"But as for strategy we were able to review the matches of the few Glacian players there are to give you a few tips." Sarah assured.

"For one thing, you need to stay on your toes in Glacier Plains, like _way_ more than usual." Peyton said. "I have no idea how, but they move on ice like you do with ice skates, except they don't have them."

"Not to mention they're survivalists and complete experts on the mountain regions. There is _nobody_ who knows Glacier Plains better than them." Kaz added, adjusting his rose-tinted glasses.

"Even Blugon?" Tom asked incredulously. Blugon was considered the Overworld's expert on Glacier Plains.

"They're the ones who taught Blugon everything he knows about the place!" Sarah said with a slight laugh.

"Now here's the drawback." Peyton said, leaning in like he was telling a tantalizing secret. "In Glacier Plains they're a tough cookie to crack, anywhere else though and they overheat, _literally_."

"They move normally in other locations and in places like the Mipedian Desert and ninety-nine percent of the Underworld they actually start losing energy." Kaz clarified at Tom's prompting look.

"So you should keep that in mind for your match, stack your location deck with as many 'hot' places as you've got." Sarah advised,

"And also stack your creatures with earth and fire attacks." Kaz also suggested. "The fire attacks might be weaker in Glacier Plains but Glacians take them harder in other locations."

"You should avoid any attacks with ice in them, as you'd probably guess they're practically immune to ice-attacks."

"You should probably have at least one 'Song of Translocation ' in case you're about to loose one of your stronger creatures." Peyton finished.

"Okay, that's good advice," Tom said with a somewhat unsure smile. "Jeez, so on top of this being not only my first match being shown to creatures, but the first one period, and I'm facing a player who uses a tribe people know next to nothing about?"

"Bad luck MajorT." Peyton said.

"You're telling me," Tom sighed before glancing at Kaz just as they approached the door leading into the Amzen drome. "And you _really_ don't know where the Code Masters put those crystal things?"

"Nope," Kaz said, shaking his head with a shrug, "Sorry Tom,"

"Just wish I knew whether or not Maxxor's going to be watching." Tom muttered to himself as he stepped off the moving sidewalk and towards the drome doors. He often talked about his matches with the Overworld Leader, who seemed interested and even gave him bits of advice or critique on something he could've done better. This however would be the first time the green man would be able to see one of his matches first hand, assuming he was watching in the first place.

"Then again he's probably got more important things to do." Tom reasoned under his breath. With the Alliance falling through and the discovery of Kaizeph, not to mention the tragedy that had struck Perim not a month ago, Tom hadn't spoken to Maxxor directly in a while. The hero was simply too busy and Tom really didn't want to bother him.

Besides, it was probably for the best he not know for sure. If he _was_ watching, Tom was pretty sure he'd end up so nervous he'd screw up royally and lose the match.

He waved at his three friends who cheerily waved back before the door slide shut behind him.

Peyton's face suddenly fell,

"Hey Kazzers…" He said slowly, turning to Kaz with an unsure look, "You _sure_ it was a good idea _not_ to tell MajorT that they set up some of those crystals in Kiru City?"

"Are you kidding me?" Kaz demanded. "If Tom found out that his Overworlder friends were watching he'd _completely_ freeze up, if you'll pardon the pun. The last thing he needs just before a big match is _stage fright._"

"He's never had a problem with stage fright before." Sarah observed.

"In front of strangers whose opinions he couldn't care less about, no he's fine." Kaz said, "Now actually put him in front of a bunch of people whose opinions he _does_ care about, namely _Maxxor_ and most of his inner circle…"

"I see your point." Peyton conceded with a wince.

"I just hope you're right Kaz, because _you're_ the one that Tom's going to be pissed at if this backfires. Especially if it turns out Maxxor really is watching." Sarah warned.

"It'll be _fine_!" Kaz stated.

* * *

Tom entered the familiar blackish gray drome as well as the floating Chaotic symbol they called a Drome Master. It was absolutely massive, the ceiling reaching well over a hundred feet.

**"Thomas Majors," **The metallic voice of the Drome Master, what was essentially a floating Chaotic symbol where the arches orbited the red center at odd angles, proclaimed,** "Chaotic Codename: MajorTom,"**

A girl entered from the other end. She was a bit tall, with brown colored skin, rounded features and large dark colored eyes. Her hair was a few shades darker than her skin, short but extremely wild and unkempt, exempting the neatly tied long braids on either side of her neck. She wore a short sleeved mint-blue t-shirt with matching headband and earrings, blue jeans tucked into brownish winter-boots, and a dark blue vest with matching arm-warmers.

She looked pretty normal actually. Not like someone who associated with Perim's most reclusive tribe.

He _did_ notice what looked like the blade of an ice-skate sticking haphazardly outside the top of her backpack, which she must have forgotten to drop off outside.

**"Roxanne Hartman,"** The Drome Master announced,** "Chaotic Codename: FrostBlighter."**

She smiled and waved at him before docking her scanner, which he noticed was a close match to the mint-blue t-shirt she wore. Come to think of it, he had actually seen those scanners a few times around the Port Court. He'd always figured it was just players who wanted a different color for their scanners for some reason.

Apparently not.

**"Today marks a historical event for Chaotic,"** The Drome Master stated as the two set up their teams. **"This will be the first match that creatures will be able to spectate, as per the agreement between the Code Masters and the tribal leaders. You two have been specifically paired at the request of Code Master Amzen, in hopes of providing an interesting match."**

"No pressure or anything," Tom mumbled as he finished, prompting a short but obviously nervous giggle from his opponent. Well that made him feel a bit better that he wasn't the only one nervous.

"Players, lock your decks."

They clicked the top buttons of their scanners, and instantly their teams were revealed. It was a three on three match, his team consisting of Maxxor and Intress in the front while Najarin was placed in the back. Normally he would have picked Tangath-Toborn, but he kind of figured it was way too freaking soon for that.

Roxanne's team consisted off...three creatures he could not name if his life depended on it.

The two in the front consisted of a large woman in fancy winter regalia, all but strutting towards a fallen creature with a thin sword drawn and pointing menacingly towards the viewer, and a large saber tooth tiger like man somewhat akin to Smildon, except completely white with much more neatly kept fur. Well, that and he wore actual armor. He was roaring at an unseen assailant with his back to what had to be the woman from the card just above his. Behind them was a raven-like creature with frankly unnerving white eyes performing some kind of ritual.

**"FrostBlighter, you won your last match here in the Amzen Drome, you will attack first."**

_Crap_, Tom thought with a grimace._ I'll be shocked if there is even one location in her deck that isn't in Glacier Plains._

The girl spun her location randomizer with a flick of her wrist, a blur of whites, grays, and blues twisting past their screens before settling on a cave-like area where the entire floor looked like it was made of ice.

**"Loc Arta-Hal'ter, a giant frozen lake spanning most of the cave's floor. A hazardous location with random patches of thin ice and subzero waters."**

"Sounds like a _great place_ to go sight-seeing." Tom said sarcastically.

**"Choose your attacking and target creatures,"** The Drome Master said, undeterred by Tom's comment.

Roxanne glanced through her choices before settling with a smirk.

"Let's start this with a bang." She said, speaking for the first time since they entered. "_Hinya'iha attacks Maxxor_!"

They both pressed their hands against their respective scans before their scanners and screens fell away. The familiar rush of blue light and code swirled around them, engulfing the two players before what was left in their place were the towering statures of their respective creatures.

Maxxor was a large muscular creature and probably one of the more humanoid of the Overworlders. 'Humanoid' being the key word, as he was over nine feet tall and had deep green skin. His black hair stuck up at odd angles with white streaks in it, and on top of that he also had deep purple marks decorated across his arms, legs and face. The bright red tunic that matched the creature's equally red eyes finished the look of one of the Overworld's most respected and beloved leaders.

Tom could feel himself standing straighter with Maxxor's commanding presence, confidence replacing his nerves as a smile played on his features.

Hinya'iha was a big creature, almost as tall as Maxxor. It was hard to tell what kind of build she had when the only part of her body left uncovered was her face, which was angular, pale blue, and her deep blue eyes sharp. She was also humanoid from what he could tell, exempting the unnaturally blue lips and fairly large tusks at the corners along with the pointed ears. And also the long thin tail with a large tuft of sleek black hair flicked back and forth behind the knee-length somewhat unnecessarily decorated dress. The collar, hem of her skirt and sleeves were lined with thick white fur. You could only see the tips of the creature's bangs peaking out from the odd headdress, the rest completely hidden by the white veil draped over her back. The sword from the card was strapped to her hips.

Roxanne also seemed to visibly straighten, shoulders laid back with her head held up high, a confident smile on her lips to match Maxxor's own grin.

Tom felt Maxxor's eyes drift to the odd crest that vaguely looked like an abstract snowflake that was sewn into the center of the headdress. He felt a vague sense of recognition, something about Maxxor's great grandfather, though he pressed the impulse aside. He needed to focus on his match.

_"Let's get Chaotic!"_ They both exclaimed.

They both disappeared in a familiar flash of white light.

Tom's eager mood was somewhat dampened as the surrounds suddenly changed into the wintry wasteland of Glacier Plains, and bitter cold suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. It sent shivers down the player's spine, and racked through the leader's own body.

"I forgot how much I _hate_ fighting at Glacier Plains." Tom griped in Maxxor's deep baritone, clenching his teeth slightly to keep them from chattering.

'_Couldn't she have at least attacked one of my creatures with _fur_?' _Tom thought bitterly before thinking offhandedly. '_Speaking of the creatures, this must be really _weird_ to watch.'_

_**Meanwhile in Perim**_

"This is absolutely bizarre." The true Maxxor unknowingly echoed Tom's thoughts, his eyes wide with an uncertain expression.

He didn't get much objection from his fellows. They had set up the viewing crystals at a small round area not far from his castle. Maxxor would have been lying if he said that after hearing Tom talk so eagerly about his own fights in the dromes, he wasn't the least bit curious to watch. Plus it wasn't too much trouble, they had plenty of the crystals to go around so a couple somehow hooked up to Chaotic wouldn't be missed. And he was fairly certain that other creatures would be interested to see their human companions in their so fondly recalled competitions.

As they quickly discovered, it was going to take some getting used to. He could feel members of the, surprisingly large, audience glancing between their _clearly present_ leader and his doppelganger in the crystal. There wasn't any real way of discerning the two from each other, so anyone who didn't know that it was a Chaotic Battle would be very confused right now.

Maxxor, meanwhile, was somewhat caught up in his own thoughts.

Should he be _worried_ about the fact that he _wasn't _surprised that Tom was one of the participants in the first match? They hadn't set up a good way of announcing upcoming matches, plus he hadn't spoken to the boy directly in quite a while, so the participants really had been a mystery up until a few minutes ago.

But he hadn't really even blinked when Tom entered the drome, and it wasn't until after they had started the match that it occurred to him that maybe this was a bad sign. Tom had a somewhat infamous reputation among Maxxor's inner circle for getting into trouble. It used to be a joke among them, but lately it's been getting a bit ridiculous.

"Is something wrong?" Intress asked with a concerned look, ever conscious of her mate's moods. Intress was a beautiful cat-like creature with bright red hair cascading down her back, orange fur covering her body, and white marks covering her stomach and the lower half of her face, along with the dark reddish markings scattered across her arms, legs and face.

"It's nothing," He assured her, waving at her slightly, "It's probably just my imagination."

She accepted his answer before focusing on Tom masquerading as her mate and snickering a bit.

"What?"

"I'm not used to you looking so completely and utterly _lost_," She chuckled, gesturing to the increasingly frustrated expression Tom was making, which by extension etched itself onto the leader's face.

"I guess he isn't familiar with the location they're in." Maxxor reasoned before taking a good look at the location in question. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen that location before."

"I didn't recognize the creature he was fighting against either." Intress observed, green eyes going a bit wide. "And she doesn't look like she's from any of the other tribes...you don't suppose that she's a Glacian?"

"If she is, this is probably the closest anyone in Perim has gotten to seeing one since my Great Grandfather." Maxxor said,

Attacat and Arias charged in,

"Did the match already start?" The panther-like creature asked.

"Who's who?" Arias asked, staring wildly at the crystal. Tom was currently wandering around the frozen lake looking for his opponent, who as of yet was nowhere to be seen, and he was still making a rather silly expression.

"I don't know who the opponent is," Intress said before gesturing towards the crystal and the copy-Maxxor. "But the one playing as Maxxor is actually Tom."

"Majors?" Arias clarified. Neither Arias nor Attacat were really a part of Maxxor's inner circle, however both creatures had been under Tangath-Toborn's command during that skirmish at the Mipedian Boarder. Subsequently both creatures, along with the other members of the group involve, had been saved by Najarin's mugic and Tom's quick thinking. So naturally they'd have an interest in one of his matches.

"What other Tom could we be talking about?" Maxxor asked.

Arias suddenly turned to Attacat with a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat.

"Ha! I told you! Pay up!" He cackled while Attacat grumbled.

Maxxor sputtered incredulously for a moment, Intress giving the two her own shocked look, before demanding,

"Wh-_You two made bets on whether or not Tom would be in the first match_!?"

He wasn't sure if he found this hilarious or frightening.

"Why not?" Arias asked as Attacat handed over a small pouch of money. "The kid shows up in practically _everything _important, I'd be more surprised if he _wasn't_ in the first match!"

The Overworld Leader couldn't stop himself from groaning in exasperation, Intress grimacing in sympathy, before turning to the screen to glare at the unknowing source of his annoyance.

It was official.

He should _definitely_ be worried.

"That child is going to be the death of me." He said, shaking his head.

"One's children usually are." Intress said with a knowing grin, prompting Maxxor to smile back.

It'd been a while since Intress had used that joke.

Not since...

He quickly pushed such thoughts away.

Today was a good day. Not the time for sad thoughts.

He'd rather find out if Tom was as good at fighting in the dromes as he claimed to be.

**Back in the Drome**

"I am _so_ lost!" Tom exclaimed in frustration, wobbling dangerously on the ice before getting his balance again. He'd finally managed to find his way into the expansive cave, which was somewhat ironically dome-shaped and gray like the Dromes. Unlike the dromes, it actually had a rather large pillar in the middle with what looked like pathways leading up. He had yet to find the one that connected to the 'ground'.

He wobbled dangerously for what felt like the hundredth time, catching himself by clinging to a nearby rock for support. He really didn't want to fall on his ass like he had in his first match. It was embarrassing enough when he discovered people could see him making a fool of himself, but it wouldn't compare to the embarrassment he'd surely feel if he did something like that while the whole of Perim could watch.

He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to show his face anywhere for at least a month.

He was glad to say that he'd at least figured out the trick of avoiding the thinner patches of ice. He noticed that the landscape was sprinkled with transparent patches that exposed the greenish water underneath. It was probably a safe assumption that _those _were the hazardous patches in question, so if he avoided those he wouldn't run too much of a risk of falling in and becoming instant code.

Probably.

_Any attacks that involved messing up the ground are out of the question though._ He thought grimly, because that somewhat limited his choices in attacks.

He looked around again before huffing in impatience.

Where the _Hell_ was his opponent?!

"FROSTBLIGHT!"

Tom barely managed to dodge the oncoming attack, which shattered the rock that struck behind him, sending bits of debris to the ice floor and through the transparent parts. He had to dig Maxxor's nails into the ice to keep from sliding around too much. And while sharp they weren't, say, _claws_ like Intress had, so it actually hurt a bit.

He glanced up at his attacker, the Chaotic-girl masquerading as the proud Hinya'Iha. Peyton was right, she _was_ moving in a way that shouldn't have been possible without actual skates. By all logic, she should be slipping and sliding as bad as he was! Instead she stood bold as day before him, smirking,

"What's the matter, Maxxor?" She asked, her voice taunting. Hinya's voice was deep for a woman but also rich, it held authority behind it. "Can't find your footing?"

She raced towards him, another attack charged in her hand.

Not this time!

"FLASH KICK!" He shouted, aiming low so that he hit near her feet. It had the desired effect, sending his opponent flying onto her front.

He probably took a bit too much satisfaction in watching the player tumble and slide rather ungracefully into the opposite wall.

She got up at the same time as him, though with much more stability, her smirk undeterred as she seemed to only get more excited.

"Oh-ho-hoh! _Now_ you're in for it!" She cackled a bit, back arching as she took a deep breath "SPIRIT-!"

"POWER-!" He began, reeling both his fists back, about to thrust them forward.

They both stopped mid-attack, cut off by a heart-stopping screech that was all too familiar and all the more unwelcome.

No.

It...it wasn't possible.

Neither of them were the creature that could make that sound.

They were in a drome match, this wasn't the actual location, they should be alone!

They both spun around to face the source of the shriek, before they both screamed as well, the terror of the humans inside overriding the courage of the creatures they emulated.

**_"MILLA'IIN?!"_**


	2. It gets worse

**Hi again! I'm not going to usually update this quickly, school's coming up this Thursday.**

* * *

**_It gets worse before it gets better_**

_It._

_Wasn't._

_Possible._

There was no way in hell that the one-eyed blue and yellow freak, the same M'arrillian that had brainwashed H'earring and Kaz, nearly getting the Underworlder and player _killed, _was floating in the middle of their battle drome. That's not how the drome worked! There were only two creatures at a time, the only time you could get more is in the beta drome, the eighth drome that was designed for when players wanted to shake up the rules. Even then, you still needed the same number of players, and they weren't in the beta drome in the first place!

It couldn't be a part of the location; creatures didn't _register_ in location scans! Kaz tried to explain it to him, but it basically came down to way too many variables for the system to handle. The only time a creature not piloted by a human player appeared hadn't even been an actual creature, it'd been a virus that infected the location Prexxor Chasm. And, granted, Milla'iin and the M'arrillians as a whole could be compared to the same destructive force as that virus had been, _but they were still creatures!_

By all logic, Milla'iin should _not_ be here, and_ yet he was_, clear as day.

And he was heading straight for them, an attack with their names on it charging in one of his limbs.

"RUN!" Both players screamed, match discarded in favor of running for their lives.

The former chieftain wasted no time in attacking them, the psychic attack shattering the ice just in front of where they stood. The only reason Tom didn't fall into the water when it happened was because Roxanne seized the back of Maxxor's tunic and yanked him away. Surprisingly as soon as her hands made contact with him, his footing stabilized and he was able to keep up with her.

"How are you-?" He impulsively began,

"No time, don't let go!" Roxanne instructed, and he immediately grasped her wrist.

"POWER PULSE!" He shouted, using his one free hand to fire his attack.

"PARAL-EYES!" His opponent also cried out, light shooting from her eyes and heading straight for the M'arrillian.

Both of their attacks hit Milla'inn straight on…but did absolutely nothing to stop him.

"What the-?!" Both teens began, only to leap away from each other as Milla'iin dived at them with another shriek.

Tom barely caught onto a rock before he slid into a thin patch, but Maxxor's heel broke through the ice and into the water. He nearly leapt out of his skin with a loud curse.

"Holy shit, _that is cold_!" He exclaimed, Roxanne racing by him seconds later and seizing his wrist to haul him to his feet.

"No shit Sherlock!" She snapped, before reaching into the sleeve of Hinya's dress. Tom heard an audible ripping noise just before she shoved something small and round Maxxor's fist.

A crystal…?

Roxanne practically slapped Hinya's hands over his when he tried to open his palm to look at what she gave him.

"_Keep that in your hand and don't tell **anybody** when this is over_!" She practically snarled in his face through gritted teeth, giving him a look that even made Maxxor take a step back.

Tom felt Maxxor grit his own teeth in response, his eyes narrowing at being ordered around by a complete stranger who wasn't even a member of his tribe! It took everything in him to keep from snarling back before Roxanne pointed towards the pillar.

"We'll be safe in there, _come on!"_

They had to duck to avoid another attack from Milla'iin, Maxxor's usual impulse to protest retreat dying in his throat. Carefully avoiding the hazardous thin patches, the two players made their way towards the pillar, Milla'iin just behind them with his inhuman shriek ringing through their ears.

"Up there!" Roxanne exclaimed, gesturing wildly towards the edge of one of the paths Tom had seen earlier. It was just a bit taller than they were so they were able to climb up without too much trouble.

Milla'iin was getting ever closer with every second.

"Pebble Storm!" He tried, the barrage of stones hitting Milla'iin but barely making him flinch.

"Flash kick!" Roxanne tried, spinning around in a kick to send the attack flying. It also hit the M'arrillian squarely but once again didn't even faze him.

"Why aren't our attacks working?!" Tom asked, confused and panicking.

"I don't know, but we need to run. This way!" Roxanne bolted up the pillar wall like she knew where she was going, so Tom quickly followed.

"In here, in here, in here!" She exclaimed gesturing towards an opening that could just fit them.

As Roxanne ducked into the passage, Tom took a moment to take a final look at the oncoming M'arrillian, and noticed that one of its tendrils was wrapped tightly around something he couldn't make out.

With an annoyed growl Roxanne shot back out before yanking him inside, preventing him from figuring out what the M'arrillian had.

As soon as Tom was inside, she began pushing an oddly convenient boulder to close up the opening. He quickly threw Maxxor's weight against the boulder to help, Milla'iin's shrieks getting louder and louder with every second.

They managed to roll the rock in place just before Milla'iin crashed into it at full speed, making the rock violently jerk.

They both stared at the door anxiously before they heard and enraged scream and what sounded like Milla'iin floating away.

"Okay," Tom panted, turning around, "Now-_WHOA_!"

The inside of what he thought was a cave was much more expansive and the walls much too smooth to be natural. This was added by the fact that some of the passageways leaded into rooms with very simple wooden furniture inside. The walls were lined with much too conveniently placed glowing crystals, making Tom realize that the pillar was in fact a fortress.

"What is this place?" He asked, looking around in awe. Even in a situation like this, he couldn't help but want to explore this new and unfamiliar place. This time he was having trouble telling if this was his own impulse or Maxxor's.

"It's a secret." Roxanne replied before adding in a despairing tone. "Aw man, I'm probably going to get into_ so_ much trouble just for _showing_ you this place when Perim's watching. Elder Nik'alis would have my head if I actually gave you context."

It was very odd seeing a fully-grown creature almost nine feet tall acting like a little girl who didn't want to be caught doing something bad. She even looked smaller with the way her shoulders were hunched and her arms close together.

"Can you at least tell me if there are any more entrances we need to worry about?" Tom asked.

"Yes there is actually, but most of them are either too small for Milla'iin or I know where the rest of them are, _come on!"_

They spent the next ten minutes sealing off the entrances, having a few close calls. By the time they were done the cold wasn't a problem anymore, they were both panting from exertion. Tom even had to wipe a bit of sweat from his brow.

Once their hearts stopped pounding in their throats, they turned to each other with concerned looks.

"The Hell was that about?" Roxanne demanded in a panic. "What's Milla'iin _doing_ here?!"

"Well, there are three possibilities I can think of. One, this is the _biggest_ malfunction Chaotic has _ever_ had, but that doesn't make sense because our attacks should still work on him." Tom listed, lifting one of Maxxor's fingers before lifting another, "Two this is some kind of elaborate prank, in which case I am going to personally hunt the asshole responsible down to kick their ass six ways to Sunday. Or three, and this is the scariest possibility, that's the actual _for real_ Milla'iin and the M'arrillians have gotten into Chaotic."

"Oh dear God I hope it's a prank." Roxanne said hoarsely, Hinya's eyes wide in a horrified expression. "It'll be the unfunniest prank ever and I'd demand a shot at them too, but _please_ let it be a prank. Because if that's the _real_ Milla'iin, we are _so _totally and utterly beyond _screwed_."

"Not yet we're not," Tom protested, before reasoning at Roxanne's flat look, "Our attacks may not be working but we've still got a shot. I've currently got the memories and tactics of Maxxor and you're the Glacian who knows this place better than anyone else. Even if neither of us can use our attacks, there has got to be something-!"

Sometimes, Tom seriously wondered if some form of entity controlling fate had it out for him for some reason.

Because right then Maxxor's visage started to glitch out, soon followed by Hinya'iha. Before either Player had a chance to react, familiar but thoroughly unwelcome swirls of white and blue code appeared around them, transforming them back into their true human selves.

So now there they stood, staring at each other in a mixture of horror and shock as the severity of the situation slowly sealed around them like an invisible iron maiden.

"Okay," Tom said in a tight voice. "_Now_ we're screwed."

* * *

**_Meanwhile in the Port Court_**

Chaotic was in a state of panic. The cacophonous noise seemed to make the very air vibrate. As soon as the M'arrillian had made his unwelcome appearance, the place had burst with the level of noise akin to a bomb. Players frantically contacted their friends to tell them what was going on and to get here to see. Demands of where the Hell the Code Masters were rang through the air. Robots flew all over the place in a state of panic, trying to get everyone to stay in their seats and calm down. Inane questions of 'what's going on' 'how is Milla'iin in the drome' 'is it a mistake' 'is that the real Milla'iin' and other questions that had been asked too many times already were assaulting their table from every side.

It was one of those moments were Kaz wished he had the same power behind his voice that Chaor did. Then he could just _yell_ over the crowd to shut up and it would probably work.

As it was, he could barely hear himself _think_.

"Any word from the Code Masters?" Sarah asked, eyes glued to the screen with a morbidly silent Peyton. It _really_ proved just how dire a situation was when Peyton had nothing to say. Sarah was shaking like she had a chill, and Kaz was having a hard time keeping his breath in check.

He kept having flashbacks of his dream from about a year ago, of creatures invading Chaotic. Up until a minute ago, the dream itself seemed pretty silly after a while. He and the others had a good laugh about the whole thing and how ridiculous it was, listing off about a dozen reasons why the creatures would have absolutely no reason to want to come to Chaotic or earth.

Now it was an all too terrifying reality. He half expected to look up and find Chaor glaring at him from above, or to find the Danian's breaking down a wall, or Mipedians terrorizing Chaotic-players. Hell, he was half surprised Maxxor wasn't here with some kind of rescue, though he did feel bad when he really thought about it.

He could only _imagine_ the state Perim must be in. They had only just barely recovered from the first time the M'arrillians reared their ugly heads, and now they'd done the one thing that no one thought was possible.

They invaded Chaotic.

Well, that or this was an elaborate prank, and if that was the case, _he was going to **strangle** the idiot responsible._

"No." He replied shortly, pressing the call button over and over to get through.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," He hissed at his scanner, switching between glaring at it and the screen at his best friend trapped inside the drome.

Why weren't the Code Masters picking up!?

"AH!" Both of his friends exclaimed suddenly, Kaz's head whipping up to see what had happened. A curse slipped out as he saw Tom and FrostBlighter change back into humans, but remaining inside of Loc Arta-Halter. Their last defense against the M'arrillian, even if their attacks had been useless, had been stripped away, leaving them virtually defenseless inside a hyper-realistic simulation of Perim's equivalent to the Artic Circle.

He hit the 'call' button on his scanner all the more frantically.

"Come on _pick up already **dammit**_!" Kaz snapped.

His screen flashed and suddenly revealed the masked face of Code Master Crellan.

"What is it KidChaor?" He snapped impatiently.

"Code Master Crellan there is a huge emergency going on in the Amzen Drome!" Kaz exclaimed in a panic, "A M'arrillian is-!"

"DON'T YOU THINK WE ALREADY KNOW?!" Crellan suddenly screamed, making Kaz jump in his seat and scramble to catch his scanner. "WE'RE TRYING EVERYTHING TO STOP THE DAMN MATCH BUT IT ISN'T WORKING. _WE'VE BEEN LOCKED OUT."_

"Wh-What?!" Kaz exclaimed, horrified.

Not a prank.

Definitely not a prank.

Why the Hell would you lock out the Code Masters? If messing with the dromes and inciting a panic in both Chaotic and Perim wasn't enough to get you permanently banned, that surely would. _How_ would you do that anyway? The Code Masters literally invented Chaotic, that's why they were the best of the best, _that's why they were Code Masters. _When you thought about it, they were the leaders of Chaotic, they were the ones in charge.

Locking the Code Masters out meant this was the real Milla'iin, and he probably intended to do some serious damage to the other two occupants once he found a way inside.

Crellan paused, audibly taking a breath before continuing much more calmly,

"We're trying everything we can to help your friend, and we could use your help. We're trying to reroute the power around the Amzen drome to force the doors open, but all of the screens around us have been taken offline so we can't see what's going on. I'd appreciate it if you'd tell us when something happens."

"Uh yeah, about that." He said, glancing at the screen grimly. "They just turned back into humans."

"They what." Crellan said flatly.

"They're humans again, and they're still in the giant pillar at Loc Arta-halter."

It was hard to tell with the mask, but KidChaor was fairly certain he just made Crellan's already bad day even _worse_.

"Thank you, that's important to know." Crellan said in a controlled tone, like he was doing everything he could _not_ to blow up at Kaz again. "Keep us updated in case anything else happens."

The screen snapped blank.

Kaz traded timid looks with his friends, about to put his scanner down when it suddenly rang again. He looked down expecting to see Crellan's name but was instead met with the word 'Herculeon.'

"Leon?" Kaz said incredulously. "The _Hell_ does he want?"

He shook his head suddenly snapped, "Screw him, whatever it is,_ it can wait!"_

He hit the ignore button and turned his attention back to the screen.

* * *

**_Back in the Drome_**

"I don't suppose you have anything _useful_ in that pack of yours." Tom asked lamely, watching the Glacian player pace the room nervously. They were seated around a large table with lots of large crystals lining the walls and lighting the room. It was cold and Tom was shivering, but compared to outside it was more than tolerable. He was pretty sure he really shouldn't try to spend too long in this place. Even if he had the ability to make any and all frostbite vanish without a trace, he'd rather avoid the memory all together.

"Well, a few things actually." Roxanne replied before setting her pack on the table with a mixture of a _clatter_ and a _thunk_, "I've got my ice skates, my coat, my gloves, an extra pair of gloves-you might want these-"

She tossed a pair of black gloves to Tom before continuing to unpack her bag while listen items off, Tom's expression getting increasingly more dumbfounded,

"Uh, a thermos of hot water, pocket knife, pocket warmers, my Dad's binoculars, extra set of clothes…"

"What _don't_ you have in there?!" Tom suddenly demanded.

"Emergency food that I forgot and the extra coat I usually bring?" She replied with a sheepish grin, before admitting miserably with a hang of her head, "That I purposefully left behind because I wanted to bring my skates, _man that was stupid! _Necessities over commodities, how many _freaking_ times has Hinya hammered that into my head!?"

She punctuated the word 'freaking' with a stomp her foot, turning her back on Tom as she muttered to herself. It was like watching a child panic about being caught for doing something bad.

…which was probably exactly what he was watching.

"Were you planning on going on a scan quest after our match?" Tom asked a bit hesitantly. He wasn't used to people talking to themselves when he was right in front of them.

"No, I'd just gotten back from Glacier Plains." Roxanne replied, turning her attention back to him. "This is what I normally bring. Well, minus the skates and add the food and extra coat. You gotta come prepared to Glacier Plains. Which, I didn't."

She added with a miserable sigh.

"You seem pretty prepared to me." Tom said.

"The difference between 'pretty' prepared and 'completely' prepared can mean the difference between life and death." Roxanne replied tonelessly, like she had been told something similar many times. She dropped into the seat opposite Tom with a flop. "If we were _anywhere_ else in Glacier Plains we would be in _deep trouble_ without that extra coat. Like legit risk of one of us ending up with severe frostbite, or even freezing to death, deep."

"Really? What's the difference between here and anywhere else?"

"It's the…" Roxanne began, her hand raising in a gesture before squeaking and blurting out, "It's a secret!"

"I'm going to get 'it's a secret' a lot as an answer, aren't I?" Tom asked with a flat look.

"Not unless you become a Glacian player." She said with an awkward grin and wince. "Which, let me be the first to warn you, is_ not_ easy."

"No thanks, I _like_ being an _Overworld Player."_ He replied.

"Kind of figured," Roxanne said with a chuckle. "I'd actually be kind of suspicious if you had said otherwise."

"What, why?"

"I've heard a few things about you, namely how loyal you are to the Overworld and Maxxor. Nobody would switch their deck when they're so close to the actual tribe." Roxanne said with a shrug. "If you had said you wanted to be one, I'd figure there was either something serious up or you were trying to be a spy for Maxxor."

"_Hey_!" Tom exclaimed defensively.

"I don't mean that as an insult!" Roxanne exclaimed quickly before adding as she scratched the back of her neck, "I'm sorry, when you hang around the Glacians as much as I do, you get mildly paranoid whether you like it or not."

"We're getting off track," Tom huffed, flopping back into his seat a bit childishly. He glanced around before sitting back up and picking the binoculars with a thoughtful look. "Hey can I borrow these?"

"What for?"

"There was something Milla'iin was carrying before, and I want to find out what it was. I noticed it when we first ran in here but couldn't see what it was." Tom explained.

"Oh, if that's the case I know a great spot we can get a good look from!" Roxanne exclaimed eagerly, leaping to her feet as she gestured towards a flight of stairs in the other room. "C'mon!"

* * *

**_Meanwhile in the Port Court_**

Chaotic was still very loud, but at least Kaz's ears were no longer ringing. People were still coming in from both Perim and Chaotic in a frenzy; over half of every Chaotic-Player that had their own code must've been crowding the place by now. Some of the robots had taken to shepherding newer arrivals into less densely populated parts of Chaotic. He was glad H'earring wasn't around, or else the poor guy would've ended up with the mother of all headaches by now.

Actually he was pretty sure _he'd _have the mother of all headaches by the time this was over.

Kaz's scanner rang and he answered it when Code Master Crellan's name came up.

"Any update?"

"They're okay, Frostblighter has a bunch of stuff they can use to survive. Tom thinks Milla'iin's got something and they're trying to figure out what it is." Kaz reported, before asking nervously, "What about your end?"

"No good," Crellan replied shortly before ending the call abruptly.

"Anything?" Sarah asked, Kaz shaking his head grimly.

His scanner rang again, and he barely glanced at it before frowning.

"Leon. Again? _Go away_!" He snapped before ignoring the call.

* * *

**_Back in the Drome_**

Tom and Roxanne had clambered up to a small enclave with a tiny opening that served for a window. The Overworld-Player was on his knees and had the binoculars pressed to his eyes, following the movements of the blue and yellow M'arrillian. The Glacian-Player was right behind him, fidgeting in a mixture of impatience and anxiety. He was having trouble focusing on the coiled tentacle and what was inside as the chieftain moved, trying to find another pathway that wasn't there.

"Well?" Roxanne asked impatiently, tapping her boot against the floor as she folded her arms.

"I can't tell...yet..." Tom snapped back testily. "He's moving too much! Wait a second!"

Milla'iin suddenly paused to consider the pillar with his one eye, giving Tom the chance he needed to focus on the object the M'arrillian carried.

"It's..." He began before trailing off, his jaw dropping slightly, "_No way._.."

"What?" Roxanne asked anxiously,

"It can't be..." He dismissed, twisting the settings to get a closer look. He visibly blanched with a gasp, "Oh my-! _It is!"_

_"What?!"_ Roxanne repeated crossly.

"It's a scanner!"

"_WHAT_?!" Roxanne shrieked, prompting Tom to cover the ear nearest her and give her a look. "I'm sorry, but are you serious?!"

"Look!" He said, giving her the binoculars. She fell into his place as he moved to give her a chance to look. "It's hard to tell because it's a Mipedian scanner so it blends in but..."

He was cut off by Roxanne's own gasp.

"IT IS!" She confirmed in a mixture of confusion and shock. "What the heck is he doing with a scanner?! Wait… You don't think _that's_ how he got in do you?"

"What else? I mean he hacked the Drome, maybe he hacked the scanner!" Tom said.

"That's _really_ scary to think about," Roxanne shuddered. "Because if they can hack the one scanner…"

"They could hack more." Tom finished, looking equally horrified.

* * *

**_Meanwhile in the Port Court_**

The Players outside of the dromes heard the two's theory and the noise level skyrocketed once more.

Kaz wasted no time in contacting Code Master Crellan.

"Milla'iin has a scanner!" He immediately blurted at the Code Master before the elder had a chance to react.

"What?"

"Milla'iin has a scanner and Tom thinks that's how he got into Chaotic!" Kaz explained quickly.

"_What?!"_ Crellan repeated incredulously. "That's impossible, a scanner wouldn't work for a creature unless...!"

He suddenly trailed off, letting out a horrified gasp before whipping towards someone out of frame.

"Imthor, _where's Churrel?!"_

The call suddenly ended.

"Code Master Crellan?!" Kaz exclaimed uselessly, the Code Master ignoring his attempts to call back. Kaz scowled as he was called again but by Herculeon.

"Not _NOW_ Leon!" He snapped through gritted teeth.

He hit ignore again before slamming his scanner down with as much force as he dared, turning his attention to the screen.

* * *

**_Back in the Drome_**

"We have to find a way to tell the other tribes!" Tom exclaimed scrambling to get back down towards where they had left Roxanne's things. "We needed a set of binoculars to see, there's _no way_ they're going to be able to see on those crystals!"

"What do you suggest we do?" Roxanne asked, climbing down after him. "Those crystals don't have sound!"

"I know!" Tom snapped back before taking a deep breath before asking, "I don't suppose you've got pencil and paper in that pack."

"How would that be useful in Glacier Plains?!" Came Roxanne's indignant reply,

"Didn't think so." Tom said with a disappointed sigh, "Can I borrow that pocket knife instead?"

She gave him a confused look before complying. She jumped as he suddenly jammed the tip of it into the wooden table and began carving out his message. It was a very crude drawing of the M'arrilian symbol with a much larger and squiggly lined scanner next it, an arrow pointing from the symbol to the scanner finishing the carving.

"Uh, how is this supposed to help?" Roxanne couldn't help but inquire as he finished.

"I'm hoping whatever records the matches will give the creatures a view of this since we're right next to it." Tom said, handing back Roxanne her knife before she shook her head.

"Keep it, I have an extra one and you might need it sooner or later." She said.

"So, now what?" She asked as he pocketed the knife.

"We have to do something about Milla'iin." Tom decided after thinking for a moment. "We need to make him leave somehow. Is there anything, _anything_ you can tell me about this place that might be helpful?"

Roxanne considered his question carefully, taking a full minute of false starts before finally deciding,

"Well there are these big rocks up near the top..."

* * *

**_Meanwhile in Chaotic_**

As the two players formed their plan of attack, Kaz looked like he wanted to strangle someone, more specifically a blue-haired Overworld fanatic who clearly did not know when to quit.

Kaz was visibly gritting his teeth as he glowered at his scanner with a look that would've made Chaor proud. It had been going off practically every thirty seconds for the past five minutes, all from the formerly undefeated player. Both of his friends had scooted away from him, seeing the blow up coming from a mile away and wanting to get out of the crossfire while they still could. They were giving him worried looks occasionally as he seethed about the annoying Overworlder.

It wasn't unusual per-say. The Overworld Player looking for a rematch did occasionally challenge him, but he usually refused because he had more important things to worry about.

But was he really this. freaking. _desperate. **for**. **a**. **REMATCH?!**_

_CHAOTIC WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A CRISIS._

His nightmare from over a year ago had finally come true and Herculeon chose _now _of all times to get stalkerishly vehement about a rematch?!

Kaz snarled as his scanner rang again and the caller ID read Herculeon for the umpteenth time. He snatched up his scanner and violently pounded the answer button.

That's it.

The Overworld player had gotten on his last nerve.

"LEON, TAKE A _GODDAMN _HINT ALREADY AND _F-_!" Kaz bellowed at his scanner, only to cut off with a sound like a lawnmower hitting a rock.

"_MAXXOR?!"_


	3. Does the Risk pay off?

**Alright I need to point out that this REALLY isn't going to be how it normally goes. I was just feeling particularly creative today and decided I didn't want to wait before I wrote this. You got really, really lucky and it's going to slow down before the week is over.**

**I guess I should disclaim now that my goal for this is to update at least twice a month. This doesn't take into account sudden creative bouts or really bad writer's block, but that's my goal. **

**I've noticed that these chapters have been getting progressively longer. When I first started writing fanfiction, I had trouble pushing two thousand words on a regular basis. Now I'm writing over three thousand with this one just shy of four.**

**That's probably a good sign!**

* * *

**_Does the Risk pay off?_**

Sarah and Peyton immediately turned their attention back to Kaz, who was suddenly grateful for the massive amount of noise. It effectively drowned out his surprised shout so only those next to him heard him.

He didn't notice Krystella and Klay staring at him incredulously from the table behind him.

"_Excuse_ me?" Sarah demanded disbelievingly, Kaz hissing at her to be quiet before he turned his attention back to the Overworld leader, who was currently glaring at him through the red device.

"Maxxor, what the Hell are you doing with Leon's scanner?" He demanded in a mild panic.

"Trying to contact you!" Maxxor replied agitatedly, making Kaz flinch in response.

Oh, you had to be kidding him.

"Don't tell me," Kaz said tonelessly with a wince, "The one trying to contact me for the last hour wasn't Leon, it was you."

"_Yes,"_ Came the Overworld leader's retort.

Of course it was.

Kaz groaned before pinching his eyelids together and saying a bit desperately,

"Okay in my defense, Leon and I are not on the best terms…"

"He was the only one we could find in the city!" Maxxor cut him off impatiently. "We can have this discussion later, right now we need to worry about the M'arrillian currently inside your drome."

"Right, uh, you have a plan I hope?"

"I want to speak to your Code Masters, I think there's something we can do to help but we need to talk to them first." Maxxor explained, a bit more patiently. "However they've been ignoring our attempts and you're the only one I could think of who knows how to speak to them directly."

"I-I see." Kaz said, swallowing his nerves as he slowly realized this might have been the break they were looking for. "I'll get right on it! I'll call you back in a minute."

"Kaz?! Where are you going?!" Sarah demanded as Kaz shot out of his seat and bolted towards the Amzen Drome.

"The Hell was Maxxor doing with Herculeon's scanner?!" Peyton also demanded

"No time to explain!" Kaz shouted back, weaving in and out of players giving him odd looks. "Need to find the Code Masters!"

* * *

By the time he had found the Code Masters, who were gathered around some panel around the far side of the Amzen drome, he was panting and exhausted. It'd taken him longer than expected because apparently the screens weren't the only things that had gone offline; the monorail had halted about half way to the drome.

"Found them!" He stated after calling Maxxor back before racing up to the silver, white and blue Code Master. "Code Master Crellan!"

"KidChaor?" Crellan said, sounding genuinely surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"Maxxor needs to talk to you, he says he might be able to help..." Kaz began before jumping back as Crellan snatched his scanner out of his hand.

"What is the meaning of this?!" He demanded, and Kaz took a few steps back. He hadn't seen Crellan this thoroughly pissed since they'd caught the players destroying locations red handed. "Maxxor, I respect the fact that you're the leader of the Overworld but two of my players' lives are on the line so this had better important!"

"I think the return of Perim's greatest enemy is an important reason," Maxxor replied before adding tersely, "Ignoring the fact that one of the players in question happens to be considered an honorary member of my tribe."

"Then state your business. _Now_." Crellan all but growled.

"Code Master Crellan, I can appreciate that you're trying everything you can but_ it isn't working._ I know this because if you had a solution we would not be having this conversation." Maxxor explained calmly. "And the longer they stay in there the likelier Milla'iin will win. That girl's supplies aren't going to last them very long and by the looks of it they're about to pull something _dangerous_ and _desperate_."

"What are you suggesting then?"

"Is there any way you could let another creature into Chaotic?" Maxxor asked, "One of my warriors might be able to force the doors open and give the children the chance they need to escape."

"Let another creature into Chaotic?!" Crellan demanded indignantly. "This entire problem is because there's a creature in Chaotic, how is another one going to be of any help?!"

"Perhaps because the creature I'll send won't be bent on attacking your players!" Maxxor snapped back.

"Crellan, he may be onto something." Amzen said pleadingly. She was the only female Code Master, almost as tall as Crellan with gold armor and violet robes.

"The dromes aren't designed to withstand real attacks," Imthor, the larger black and white robed Code Master with bronze armor reasoned. "Maxxor may be right, having a real creature on our side may be the solution."

Crellan hesitated for a moment before sighing in defeat.

"Give us ten minutes to deactivate the mechanism that prevents creatures from using the scanners. You'll be able to send _one creature_, one creature and that is it."

"Why only one?"

"Because it'll take too long to make the necessary changes for more than one!" Crellan snapped.

"I understand." Maxxor said, nodding curtly before ending the call.

Almost seconds after Crellan handed Kaz back his scanner, it rang again with Peyton's screen name this time.

"Peyton, what…" Kaz began,

"Kaz you need to get back in front of the nearest screen pronto!" Peyton instructed in a panic. "MajorT and FrostBlighter are about to do something that is either insanely awesome-!"

He was suddenly shoved aside and his scanner snatched away by the equally panicked Sarah.

"_Or phenomenally **stupid**_!"

* * *

**_In the Drome_**

"You _sure_ this'll make him go away?" Tom asked for what felt like the hundredth time. He wasn't 100% keen on this plan. Roxanne was the one being put in direct harm's way while he was safely up towards the ceiling with the sole purpose of pushing a rock at the right time. She on the other hand had to out-skate a flying M'arrillian and get out of the way in time to not end up in the water.

The morality part of him squirmed at the idea of letting someone else take a huge risk while he took the easy job. The logical part on the other hand reasoned that this was the better plan. Roxanne had way more experience with ice-skates than he did, knew the layout better, and then there was the fact the stupid skates were made for women and were several sizes too small. On top of that, he was stronger and therefore would have a higher chance of dropping the rock at the right time than she did.

It still didn't stop from bothering him a lot.

"Without a doubt." Roxanne stated, stripping off her arm-warmers, vest and discarding her earrings. Skin in contact with metal froze faster and she wanted to reduce the wind resistance as much as she could. "He won't have a choice. He's got thirty seconds before he ends up with severe hypothermia and another thirty before his heart gives out. Even if he does get out before then, the hypothermia won't magically go away, it'll get worse until he gets out of the cold _period_. He's either porting out, or he's done."

"You _sure_?" Tom clarified. "M'arrillians are adapted to harsh waters."

"I've fought M'arrillians here before, they didn't last any longer than any of my other opponents." Roxanne said, "The only one that did was Phelphor, but I think he's like specifically adapted to cold water."

"I really hope you're right." Tom said with a dark look. "Because if you're wrong, _you're_ the one who's going to end up paying for it and there's no way I'll be able to get down to help you in time."

"I know what I'm getting into." Roxanne assured him, tying the last knot on her skates. The blades still had the protective cover on them and she wobbled a bit as she stood up. She looked like somebody about to go to the nearby ice rink, not somebody who was about to face down one of the biggest terrors in Perim. "Taking risks is nothing new to the Glacians."

Tom was about to turn away when Roxanne called him back.

"When we make it out of this, I demand a rematch." Roxanne with a cheeky grin, "Hinya and I didn't get the chance to really kick you and Maxxor's ass earlier."

"What makes you think you would've won?" Tom demanded impulsively, his opponent replying with a shit-eating grin,

"Fight me in your next drome match and find out."

The Overworld player couldn't help but grin as she extended her hand, taking it and shaking it.

"It's a promise."

* * *

**Meanwhile in Chaotic**

"Kaz _come on_!" Peyton whined at his scanner. "Where's that cavalry Maxxor promised?!"

"First of all I wouldn't call _one creature_ a cavalry, second of all we need to wait another three minutes."

"We don't have another three minutes!" Sarah exclaimed over Peyton's shoulder. "They're about to go through with this insane plan any second!"

"The Code Masters are working as fast as they can! From what Code Master Imthor told me, scanners are specifically designed to only work for the player with the matching code. There is a way to deactivate it, but it takes time!" Kaz replied before adding weakly. "We're going to have to wait and hope Tom can pull another miracle."

"A miracle's right." Klay called to them from his table not far from them. It really said a lot that Sarah's immediate reaction was to check under the table for the damn bug they always somehow snuck under them. She lobbed it towards Klay's face but the goateed young man caught it with a smirk.

"MajorTommy's going to need all the luck he can get if he wants to survive this one," Krystella, Klay's brunette partner in crime sneered.

"Nobody asked you!" Peyton snapped. "For Chaotic's sake, don't you have something better to do?!"

Both the blond boy and the brunette girl gave Peyton flat looks before gesturing towards the screen at Milla'iin.

"…Right." Peyton reluctantly conceded. "I guess not…"

"Just keep your opinions to yourself!" Sarah snapped.

The conversation died with that, a heavy silence falling through the Port Court as the two went to their positions. It felt like the fate of Chaotic depending on the outcome of the two children's plan.

And the frightening part was…it very well could.

* * *

**In the Drome**

Milla'iin was circling around the pillar for what felt like the hundredth time when a snowball struck him in the back of the head.

"HEY!" Came the Glacian player's taunting cry standing before him, bold as day with no protection whatsoever, glaring at him before sneering,

"CATCH ME IF YOU CAN SQUIDFACE!"

Roxanne turned around on her skates before zooming off, the shrieking M'arrillian hot on her heels. While nothing Olympic worthy, it should be noted that Roxanne was good at skating and there was one thing in particular she took pride in.

Her speed.

And in this race, speed was most definitely key if she wanted to get away with this unscathed. Hence why she had left her usual accessories behind and left her jacket inside the pillar.

It was one of the bigger reasons why they had agreed she would be the bait. She would be infinitely faster than Tom and much less likely to trip and stumble, not to mention knew the layout better than he. Well, that and the skates didn't have a snowball's chance in the Underworld of actually fitting him without causing a debilitating amount of discomfort.

Roxanne took a chance to glance up at the dizzying heights near the top of the dome. You could just barely see Tom positioning himself behind a precariously placed boulder almost twice his size. Even without Maxxor's strength, with the angle of the edge and the fact that they had used her thermos of hot water to melt the ice around it, the Overworld player could push the rock over eventually if he braced himself against the opposite wall.

It was a question of getting the timing right that was the problem.

If they were off by a second too late or a second too early, the rock would fall harmlessly through the ice and not take the M'arillian with it as they planned.

And then they would have a _royally pissed_ Milla'iin to contend with.

_All the more reason to keep well out of his reach, _She thought nervously as she picked up her speed. She carefully weaved between the hazardous ice patches and rocks , her mind focusing on the task before her.

As they circled around the pillar for the first time, Roxanne glanced back and made her decision.

She jumped, just a jump, nothing fancy, but big enough to give her accomplice the message.

Bracing his back against the pillar and his feet against the rock, Tom pushed with all his might.

Meanwhile Milla'iin shot out a tendril and wrapped it around the girl's ankle. She hit the icy floor with a yelp, her ankle sending shocks of agony through her system.

It was then Tom succeeded in shoving the rock over, straight on top of Milla'iin.

Having only a split second to react, Roxanne did exactly that. She flipped onto her back, threw her free leg up before slamming the blade of her (recently sharpened) skate on top of the M'arrillian's tendril.

Milla'iin released her with a shriek, greenish blood spattering the floor and the player before noticing a second too late the looming shadow that now threatened him. With another shriek the boulder landed right on top of him, sending him crashing through the ice with a massive splash. Roxanne scrambled to get away from the expanding cracks that spider-webbed their way across the floor, sending splashes of water flying as it went.

The floor beneath her suddenly dropped, forcing her to make a leap she couldn't land. She ended up crashing, tumbling head over heels for a moment before sliding into the wall as she had done as Hinya'Iha just a mere hour before.

Only this time, she was too hurt to get back up.

"Roxanne!" Tom exclaimed, clambering down with her pack and things on his back. He wobbled and slid ungracefully before reaching Roxanne, who managed to sit up and was only just barely keeping herself from crying.

"Roxanne, are you okay? Wh-WHOA _what the hell!?_"

It should be noted that ice skates, especially recently sharpened ones, could do a lot of damage if you aren't careful. A number of professional figure skaters ended up with scars on their face because they were too close to their spinning partner. So the fact that during her tumble, Roxanne's skates struck her calves and left some nasty gashes was not surprising.

However, instead of bleeding blood, the gashes were _glowing_, blueish-white light replacing the crimson liquid that was supposed to be staining her clothes.

"What the Hell." Tom demanded while Roxanne just shook her head with a shrug, looking just as surprised and confused as he was.

"Don't look at me, I don't know! This is the first time anything like this has happened to me!"

"W-Well what do we do?! Do we dress it like a normal wound? Where's your first aid kit?"

"I don't have one." She said flatly.

"What do you mean you don't have one?!" Tom demanded, caught somewhere between incredulous and angry. "I thought you were supposed to be Miss. Crazy Prepared!"

"I've never needed a first aid kit before!" Roxanne exclaimed defensively. "The worst I've ever gotten in Perim was a dislocated joint that went away the moment I went home!"

"Well then what the Hell do we do now!?"

"Get out of the cold and back inside?" Roxanne suggested, and it was only then that Tom noticed they'd both started to shiver rather violently.

"C-C'mon," She said, reaching towards him in a gesture to help her up, he winced as he noticed that her foot was pointing at an odd angle he was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to. "I think there might be something we can use for first aid back inside of the..."

Without warning the thundering sound of metal against metal echoed around them, making both players jump.

"Oh what is it now?!" Tom demanded despairingly as he looked around frantically.

"Don't be another M'arrillian, don't be another M'arrillian, don't..." Roxanne practically sobbed.

Without warning a hole ripped itself in the wall, two hands slipping through it before the metallic sound of ripping metal assaulted their ears. By the time the creature was done, both players had recognized her as the Overworld Second in Command, Intress.

"Tom!"

"Intress?!" Both players exclaimed incredulously, unable to believe their eyes.

"Frostblight!" Intress called out, breathing onto the exposed water to create a barrier, giving the large chunks of ice stability before leaping into the drome. She landed near them in no time flat.

And Tom felt like crying in relief.

"Intress I have no idea how the Hell you're even here but thank GOD you are!" He exclaimed, meanwhile Roxanne gawked, still unable to believe her eyes.

"You…_you_-!" Intress seethed, ears laid flat against her head as she glared menacingly at him. Tom's stomach dropped a bit at the realization that Intress was _beyond furious_ with him. Roxanne leaned back anxiously as the Overworlder gestured to both of them. "That was so unbelievably _reckless_ I don't even know where to start!"

"But…but…!" He stuttered out as the girl next to him looked around frantically, still confused as to why she was being yelled at by a stranger.

"Save it for later!" She snapped, reminding Tom of the time he had stayed in Perim during the climax of the final battle with the M'arrillians. Kaz had accidentally let it slip that he'd intended to stay on purpose, which infuriated the creature to no end. Apparently her 'suggestion' of leaving had actually been an order, which Tom still swore to this day he hadn't realized...but freely admitted that even if he had, he probably would have stayed anyway. She didn't seem _quite_ as mad as she had been back then, but it was clear he was still going to get an earful later. "For now let's get you both out of here."

She turned her attention to Roxanne, who jumped as she leaned back like she was expecting to get yelled at again. Instead what she got was a surprisingly patient, "Can you stand?"

Roxanne immediately shook her head.

"My ankle's broken."

"Let me see," Intress instructed, examining it before saying, "I think it's dislocated, not broken. You're definitely not walking with it anytime soon however."

Clearly the glowing cuts across the girl's calves didn't bother the Overworlder too much. because she didn't pay them any mind as she picked the girl up as easily as if Roxanne was a doll. She carried player out just as quickly as the creature came in, Tom only feet behind her as he took a bit longer to keep from falling in.

Literally just out of arm's reach the chuck of ice Tom landed on jerked suddenly, the thin layer of ice cracking slightly and causing him to pause for only a second.

A second was all it took.

Without warning, a familiar and unwelcome yellow tentacle shot out from beneath the thin layer of ice Intress had created. Tom and his company barely had time to shout out in surprise before it whipped around his forearm and yanked it so hard his shoulder dislocated with an audible POP! The slab of ice tilted with a crunch, sending him straight into the perilous water. The cat like creature lunged forward, making a wild grab for Tom's outstretched free arm.

…And missed it by a hair's breadth.

He could hear everyone's screens just before he hit the water with a splash.

It was like he had hit a brick wall, so sudden and violent was the jolt of cold in his system. His blood felt like it was turning to ice, even his dislocated arm felt numb, as he was pulled deeper and deeper into the freezing depths.

And of course he struggled, kicking and bucking and enveloping his vision in a flurry of bubbles. But it was a fight he was going to inevitably lose as he was dragged deeper and deeper into the darkness below.

_You're not getting away from me you infernal whelp! _Tom heard Milla'iin's voice vibrate through his mind as he tried to claw at the tendril that was anchoring him. He couldn't even scratch it, wincing as his lungs started to burn from the lack of oxygen, and his head pounded with each word the M'arrillian "spoke."

Milla'iin's chuckle suddenly vibrated through him.

_Poor Maxxor, he'll be so devastated to see his brat within the ranks of the M'arrillians, especially so soon after the tragic death of his best friend, Tangath-Toborn._ Milla'inn sneered before spitting contemptuously, _Good riddance to that Cothica forsaken bastard!_

Red suddenly replaced the black that threatened to envelop him, both at the insult to Perim's savior and the assumption that he'd join the M'arrillians.

_He would rather **die!**_

But to his horror, he could see Milla'iin fiddling with the scanner, a terrifying thought occurring to him.

If Milla'iin could hack the scanner to send a creature into Chaotic...

Who's to say he couldn't hack it to take two people instead of one?

With that realization panic rose like bile in his throat, fear coursing through him.

He had to do something!

But there was no way…there was no way…!

THE KNIFE!

Deciding in that second that the Glacian player was someone he _definitely_ had to keep around, he frantically yanked the pocketknife out of his pants. Flicking the sheath off and not even noticing has he nicked his thumb, a tiny light illuminating the darkness surrounding him, he turned around to face the M'arrillian.

And with all the strength he could muster he plunged it into the tendril that anchored him.

Blue light shone through the green swirls as the M'arrillian shrieked in fury and pain. Tom found himself being thrown into the rock wall, striking his head and forcing him to take an involuntary gasp. He dropped the knife in a panic, desperately trying to swim back to the surface as his very insides froze and darkness consumed most of his vision.

The Chieftain shrieked with rage at his blunder of releasing the player, and raced to reclaim his prize.

But before he even had the chance to capture Tom again, he was stuck backwards by a Paral-Eyes that finally worked, freezing him in place as _Intress_ seized hold of Tom.

With the boy safely within her grasp, she rocketed towards the surface, her claws digging into his shoulders. Her grip would have been painfully tight if not for the fact that his body had gone completely numb by this point.

_THIS ISN'T OVER. _Milla'iin's voice shrieked in the player's mind. _PERIM WILL BE OURS._

He felt a new presence in his mind, and a chuckle resonated within him, chilling him in a way that the water could never hope to accomplish.

_And you and your little group of friends will be the ones who hand us our victory._

Intress broke the surface with a gasp and Tom with a hacking sputter, expelling water with each desperate gasp for air. The light of the outside blinded him, his mind barely able to comprehend being dragged frantically towards land. Voices assaulted his ears in a blare of white noise, incomprehensible and ignored as relief shook through him.

_It's over._ Was all he could think as his mind grew fuzzy and the darkness that had been threatening his vision finally overtook him. He barely had time to notice that his airways suddenly cleared when he left the drome before he passed out, blacking out before he could even hit the floor.

_It's over._

It wasn't.

It was only just beginning.


	4. The Truth of the Matter

**One final twist before the end of this first arc, which I am going to oh-so-creatively dub the Beginning Arc. **

**I think the reason why I got this first arc out so fast is because I had this more or less planned since I started the first chapter. **

**Now however, even I don't know where this is going, or where this is ending. Hopefully not for a while, because this is the most fun I've had writing in a long time. This show has its faults and its goofiness, but it's not a fandom I think I'll ever truly leave. It's always something that keeps popping back up with new 'what if's' that I can actually act on now that I'm a better writer. **

**Also the support I've gotten for this is just phenomenal, despite my bad habit of starting things and never finishing them. This story hasn't been out for a week yet and already I have eleven reviews, nine favs and thirteen follows. That's incredible for such a small fandom, and I can't thank you enough!**

**Finally, for those of you who have been asking, yes you can use the crystal idea I used in the story. **

**On with this last chapter before school starts tomorrow. Blaaargh. Luckily I only have half a year left.**

**Edit: OKAY FOR SOME REASON FANFICTION . NET STOPPED SHOWING THE CHAPTER SO I REMOVED IT AND REPOSTED IT.**

**Edit 2: We are having technical difficulties. Namely THE CHAPTER KEEPS DISAPPEARING.**

* * *

**The Truth of the Matter**

Cold.

That was the first thing that registered in Tom's mind as he slowly returned to the land of the living.

He was cold and shivering beneath something heavy.

The next thing he realized was that his arm hurt. It felt like the bones had been replaced with lead and the joints at his shoulder, wrist and elbow were stiff and swollen.

Finally he realized…he had no idea where the Hell he was.

That made his eyes snap open before hissing as light assaulted his retinas and made them sting. It took him a second of struggling to extract his good hand from underneath the pile of blankets he was under to swing his arm over his eyes. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he had a chance to take in his surroundings.

It took him a moment to recognize the place as his room, not the room he had on earth, but the one he used in Perim when he stayed over night.

Originally it had been a small extra storage room they no longer used thanks to Bodal's organization skills. During his 'undercover' mission involving the players destroying locations, Bodal had agreed to convert the room into a dwelling place temporarily.

And by 'convert' they basically stuck a small bed (for most creatures, it was just shy of queen-sized for humans) in it and called it good.

Bodal and Olkeix never got around to removing the bed, and eventually it just became habit to sleep there whenever he was too tired to try and port home.

It was a massive relief to wake up in a location that was familiar and he felt safe, especially after his ordeal. Even if he was a bit confused as to why he was there instead of Chaotic.

Tom used his one arm to try and scoot into a sitting position when a familiar and _more_ than welcome voice caught his attention.

"Please don't tell me you're trying to stand up literally seconds after waking up from hypothermia. Do you want Intress to have both our heads?"

"Maxxor!" Tom exclaimed, always happy to see the leader, especially when it had been a while since they'd spoken directly.

The Overworld Leader looked...tired actually. Like he'd had a very long day and couldn't wait to turn in for the night. None the less, Maxxor sat down in the chair not far from Tom's bedside.

"How you feeling?"

"Cold, tired, and my arm hurts a lot." Tom answered honestly. He'd quickly discovered that Overworlders did _not_ appreciate it when you tried to downplay injuries.

Maxxor had actually been the one to give _that_ angry lecture after a spy-mission had gone wrong and a broken rib turned into an infected one.

"Well like I said you did just wake up from hypothermia, and I doubt a couple hours is enough time to recover from an ordeal like that. Your arm hurts because Milla'iin dislocated your shoulder and your elbow. You also managed to stab your own wrist pretty deeply when you attacked him with the knife."

"Jeez, I did? I didn't even _notice_ that." Tom said with a wince before a thought occurred to him. "Wait, how do you know about the knife? I don't think Intress saw that part when she rescued me."

"She didn't _have_ to tell me, I saw the entire ordeal on the crystals."

"Oh…so…you _were_ watching the match." Tom said slowly quickly trying to hide how much that unnerved him by laughing awkwardly, "Heh, well I _would_ ask you what you thought, but you didn't exactly get to see much before it all went to Hell."

"You looked like you were having a lot of fun up until Milla'iin showed up." Maxxor offered. "After that it was just…stressful. For all involved."

"I'd imagine." Tom said, shifting uncomfortably. He didn't like it when he made people worry about him. "How'd you get Intress into Chaotic anyway?"

"We managed to convince a Chaotic Player we found in the City to let us use his scanner to contact the Code Masters, but when that didn't work we tried to contact Kaz. Took us over an hour before he finally stopped ignoring us. Apparently we managed to pick a player your friend seems to have a personal grudge against."

"What was the player's name?"

"Leon,"

"Oh, yeah that's bad luck." Tom said with grimace and a wince. "He and Kaz do _not_ like each other one bit."

"Your friend said as much. I'm curious as to why they seem to resent each other so much."

"Well it used to be a typical Underworld Vs Overworld thing...up until Kaz ended Herculeon's undefeated winning streak...in what was admittedly an unfair match." Tom said, "Leon's been hounding Kaz for a rematch since."

"That explains your friend's anger when he finally answered." Maxxor said thoughtfully before pressing on. "After we managed to get contact with the Code Masters they agreed to let one creature in to rescue you and the girl you were supposed to be fighting against. I sent Intress and you can guess the rest."

"Yeah I can." Tom confirmed, before saying slowly. "Intress...still isn't happy with me...is she?"

"It's hard to stay mad at someone who ended up unconscious with hypothermia, but yes she is none too pleased with you. What you did was extremely dangerous and reckless, it's nothing short of a miracle you two made it out with such relatively minor injuries."

"And you're mad at me too." Tom realized, shrinking a bit as he lowered his head slightly.

"A little bit," Maxxor confirmed, Tom shrinking even more. "Tom I can understand why you did what you did, but that doesn't change the fact it was still dangerous and nearly cost you both your lives. What if you had slipped while trying to push that rock? What if that girl hadn't gotten out of the way in time? What if you missed? What if you got him but ended up destroying the ice all around the pillar? And then there was the variable that actually _did_ come back to bite you, which was what if he lasted longer than you were expecting?"

"Roxanne said she fought M'arrillians in the dromes before and they never lasted longer than a minute..."

"Which is true of your games, I'm sure, and from what I understand if you had been at the _actual_ location, Milla'iin would probably be floating underneath the ice as we speak. But because of the fact that you were in the drome and the location wasn't technically real, it didn't effect him in the same way the true location would have."

"We didn't know that."

"No, you didn't." Maxxor agreed. "I'm just saying you should have thought through it more,"

"Yeah...okay I understand." Tom said.

"I am, however, angrier at the fact that you were put into that position in the first place." Maxxor said darkly. "Terrorizing children while the whole of Perim could watch is something even Chaor isn't heartless enough to do."

There was an awkward pause before Tom worked up the nerve to inquire.

"Can I have my scanner back? I want to go home to fix these injuries as soon as possible."

Now it was Maxxor's turn to look vaguely uncomfortable.

"I'm actually borrowing it for a bit." He said slowly.

"_Borrowing_ it, for what?" Tom asked incredulously.

"I sent your friends Kaz, Peyton and Sarah with a message to the other tribes." Maxxor explained. "Now that the M'arrillians are on the move and clearly a threat once more, reinstating the Tribal Alliance should be our first priority. I'm waiting for them to contact me with the other tribes' answers, which should be relatively soon since I sent them out about an hour ago. We...had to give Leon his scanner back as soon as Intress came back."

"_Oh_, okay." Tom said, immediately understanding. "Sure thing."

"I can only hope the other tribes are as cooperative as your friends are…"

"Why wouldn't they be?" Tom asked. "The Alliance was the only reason Perim survived last time."

"I know that, and I'm fairly confidant that the Mipedians and Danians will be willing to join the Alliance again, it's, surprise-surprise, the _Underworlders_ I'm more worried about." Maxxor said before adding darkly. "Chaor never _officially_ joined, and he didn't even show up until almost literally the last minute. Although he was instrumental in the final battle against Aa'une, I don't know if he'll decide to join early on this time."

"I dunno...I don't think he'd want to risk losing the Underworld again." Tom said.

"Most people would, but Cothica knows not everyone is rational when they think their pride is at stake."

Tom's scanner suddenly rang, Maxxor glanced down to see who was contacting them.

"It's your friend, Kaz." He answered at Tom's inquiring look Before answering the call. Kaz's head and shoulder's came into view, the background of what was unmistakably Chaor's throne room behind him.

"Maxxor, I just got done explaining the situation to Chaor and your offer to reinstate the alliance. Basically, he says yes and he'll meet you in Kiru City to make it official in a couple days."

"_He did?_." Maxxor asked incredulously, pleased but not bothering to hide his surprise.

"Why are you so damn surprised?!" Chaor's indignant growl suddenly blared through the scanner, the screen blurring as Kaz's surprised yelp came though. Neither the player nor the leader had to wonder what was happening on the other end. Sure enough when the screen stopped moving it the red gargoyle-like creature had replaced Kaz, and, as usual, looked angry. "You really think I'm going to risk losing the Underworld to those bastards again?"

Maxxor took a moment to glance at Tom before replying, "No comment."

"Watch it." Chaor growled warningly through the scanner, "I'm only doing this because I have to, not because I want to. As soon as the M'arrillians are locked behind the doors and we've thrown away the key, you can kiss the alliance goodbye and _for good_ this time! Understand?"

"Understood," Maxxor replied coldly.

Chaor let out a growling sigh, taking a moment to glance down to the side before asking with a flat expression and a toneless voice.

"Is that brat of yours still living?"

Now Maxxor looked legitimately shocked and vaguely unnerved.

"Are you actually _concerned_ about one of _my_ allies?"

Chaor made a growling noise.

"_I'm_ not the one who's worried." Chaor snapped before the screen blurred again, Kaz swearing audibly before it stopped and Kaz's face came back into view. The Underworld player was glaring at what they assumed was the direction Chaor was before looking at Maxxor again, his expression concerned.

_"Is_ Tom alright?"

"He's fine." Maxxor assured with the first real smile since he'd entered the room. "He's even conscious,"

Maxxor handed Tom his scanner back, the human pulling a smile and saying cheerily,

"Hey Kaz!"

"Tom!" Kaz exclaimed, visibly brightening. "Oh thank God you're okay! We were so worried when you wouldn't wake up."

"I'm fine." Tom assured, "I'm cold and my arm hurts, but it's nothing a quick trip back home won't fix."

"That's good to hear." Kaz said with a relieved sigh. "For a while we thought you were really done for this time."

"Come on you know me better than that, it'll take a lot more than Milla'iin to keep a Majors down," Tom chided before promising. "I'll head home as soon as Sarah and Peyton call in with the Danian's and Mipedian's answers."

As if on cue, both Sarah and Peyton's screen names appeared in the top right corner.

"Speak of the devils." Tom said before connecting Sarah and Peyton in, the three sharing thumbnails within the tiny screen. As expected, the background of Sarah's image was recognizably within Mount Pillar and Peyton's was that of the Mipedim Oasis.

"Hey guys."

"TOM!" Both Sarah and Peyton exclaimed at the same time, relief brightening their expressions.

"Glad to see you up MajorT!"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Tom assured yet again, not noticing Maxxor quietly smiling to himself.

He'd always had concerns about Tom's friends being so tightly allied to the other tribes. Moments like these always reminded the leader that despite their conflicting loyalties to their respective tribes, their loyalty to each other was unwavering.

"Anyway, what about the Danians and Mipedians, what did they say about Maxxor's offer about reforming the alliance?" Tom asked, quickly catching Maxxor's rapt attention.

"Dude I am happy to report that the Mipedians are on board with reinstating the Alliance." Peyton announced with a salute and a massive grin.

"I am also glad to say that the Danians have agreed as well." Sarah added much more calmly, but with a smile that rivaled Peyton's.

Both Maxxor and Tom felt like a weight they hadn't realized was there lifted from their shoulders. The lack of unity between the tribes had been the near downfall of Perim the last time the M'arrillians were a threat. It was a great relief to know that despite the fall out, all four tribes realized this fact and were taking active measures to avoid it.

"Looks like the M'arrillians have one Hell of a fight from the get-go this time around." Kaz grinned broadly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chaor's menacing growl rumbled in the background. Instead of flinching and panicking, as one would expect, Kaz rolled his eyes of all things and then replied exasperatedly.

"You _know_ what I meant!"

And instead of blowing up at him for the sarcastic retort, Chaor gave a snort while another chuckled.

"Oh he's getting better at that."

"Takinom hush!" What was probably Agitos hissed at her.

"I'll see you guys later." Kaz stated before his thumbnail disappeared and Sarah and Peyton's became bigger.

"We'll talk to you later Tom." Sarah promised before disappearing off the screen.

"Later MajorT." Peyton said cheerily before the screen went blank.

"Later," Tom replied, turning off his scanner.

"Well, now that I have my answers, you should probably get going now." Maxxor said.

"Yeah, I should probably go home and fix this busted up arm." Tom said.

"I need to go make arrangements for…" Maxxor began, getting up but was cut off by another ring from Tom's scanner.

"It's from Code Master Crellan." Tom said,

"It's probably important." Maxxor replied, sitting back down in his seat to hear what the Code Master had to say as Tom clicked the answer button.

"Attention Chaotic Players," Crellan said, and immediately both the Overworlder and the player felt their stomachs drop. The tone Crellan was using was sad and defeated; like he was about to deliver news he _knew_ no one was going to like. "As we are all well aware, the events earlier today have been trying and straining for all those involved. And I am sure many of you, if not most of you, would like nothing more than to go home and have a chance to rest and calm down after these events. Which is why it _pains_ me to have to deliver these news."

"First of all, we have strong reason to believe that the M'arrillians have taken Code Master Churrel prisoner."

Tom gasped at this, staring in wide-eyed horror before biting his lower lip as Crellan continued.

"While this realization has allowed us to make the necessary changes to prevent any future unwelcome visitors, the damage has already been done. As it turns out, the attack on MajorTom and FrostBlighter was _not _the ultimate goal of Milla'iin's presence."

"WHAT?!" Tom demanded incredulously, Maxxor quickly hushing him as Crellan continued.

"During the attack, we discovered that while we were distracted with trying to rescue the two players in question, the M'arrillians hacked something else. Our transport center, more specifically the programing to get players between Chaotic and earth."

"It's…it's been corrupted and rendered useless. And while we did have a back up, that's been destroyed as well."

The player's jaw dropped and he looked at Maxxor hopelessly. The Overworld leader didn't need to understand what the Code Master meant entirely to realize what this ultimately meant.

Tom couldn't go back to earth.

"Now the good news is that while recreating the program itself isn't a problem, it's a question of time." Crellan explained. "As you would guess, this isn't a problem that can be fixed within a couple hours. In fact, it's going to take anywhere between six months to an entire year. One or two solans for any creatures that are listening."

Now Maxxor looked equally alarmed as Tom. An entire solan _at least_? Despite the fact that the actual time that passed on earth was equal to six months, in Perim a solan was the same length as a year.

"Which means that, in light of the new situation, there are going to have to be some changes." Code Master Crellan stated grimly. "The other Code Masters and I have to make negotiations with the tribe leaders to see if we can't make the situation easier on everyone, but that's not the only thing that's going to change. As of right now we're setting up new rules."

"First of all, M'arrillian locations are now banned. After tonight your scanners will not port you to anywhere that's dominated by the M'arrillians. And I would greatly appreciate it if creatures respected this new ban and _not_ send any players on spy missions in these locations."

Maxxor couldn't help but feel a little like Crellan was speaking more directly to him.

"Any players found within these locations, unless dragged there by a M'arrillian, will result in an automatic ban from Perim entirely until the year is over. And we _will_ find out if you go there, make no mistake."

"Our last change, until further notice, is a ban on any contact with M'arrillians unless absolutely necessary or unavoidable. Cooperation with the M'arrillians for _any reason_ will result in a permanent ban from Chaotic and Perim entirely. As soon as the transport center to Earth is back up, you _will_ be sent home, your code _will_ be revoked and you _will_ **_never_** get it back. _Ever_."

Crellan's tone had taken a menacing edge that was not to be taken lightly. He meant what he said.

"We _will_ get through this. There will have to be a lot of changes, but we _will_ get through this. Please try to remain calm for now. Thank you."

The call ended and they were left in deafening silence.

Tom stared around the room and Maxxor with a helpless expression, breathlessly trying to say something but always ending with false starts. It was pretty apparent he was doing the exact opposite of what Crellan had requested.

"Calm down," Maxxor instructed.

"Calm down?!" Tom finally demanded, caught somewhere between terrified and angry. "Maxxor, the M'arrillians have Code Master Churrel, they broke into Chaotic-!"

"Tom..."

"Th-They're after Chaotic Players for some ungodly reason-!"

"Tom-"

"They got the Transport Center, they hacked it and now we can't go home_! I can't go home!_"

"TOM!" Maxxor finally shouted, immediately silencing the player. When he'd gotten the players attention he said firmly, "panicking won't accomplish anything other than aggravating your injuries. There's nothing you can do about it in your current state. I know you're scared and confused, and you have every right to be. But we need to stay calm. Panicking is probably exactly what the M'arrillians want."

"But..." Tom protested, but swallowing the rest of what he was going to say when Maxxor gave him a look.

"It's not the end of the world yet, so calm down and get some rest. You're going to have to recover the old fashioned way for a while." Maxxor said as he stood up. "I need to contact the other leaders so we can discuss this."

"Just what do the M'arrillians want?!" Tom blurted out desperately just before the Leader left the room. "What the Hell do they want from us?!"

Maxxor paused, before admitting honestly.

"I don't know. But we'll find out."

And with that, Maxxor closed the door, Tom staring after him with a hopeless expression.

A distraction?! That entire thing he went through...was a distraction!?

They weren't the real targets of that?!

But then...

...then...

Tom felt sick as a cold realization hit him.

They hadn't won.

They had just played right into the M'arrillian's hands.

Just like...just like they did during the first invasion.

Tom had to thickly swallow as a dreaded feeling festered in the pit of his stomach. It was something he hadn't felt since near the end of the M'arrillian Invasion, and then when Vitog had shown up to destroy Perim to get at Tangath.

Helpless...and afraid.


	5. The Wheel Begins to Roll

**Special thanks to CoalTreasure taking the time out of her day to edit this and catching the mistakes I missed while writing this.**

* * *

**_Changes Arc_**

**_The Wheel Begins to Roll_**

People were huddled around their tables in groups, what few adults there were, assuming they were parents, were keeping their children by their side at all times. The screens were blank and silent; meanwhile robots were almost racing around trying to make everyone comfortable as possible. Subsequently, a lot of people had blankets clenched around their shoulders and hot drinks or food by their side.

It'd been a few days since the start of the negotiations between Chaotic and Perim, and an entire week since Chaotic had been attacked. Everybody was anxious, irritable and also bored, a potentially devastating combination of moods. Especially when no one dared use the dromes yet, taking away their best outlet for stress.

The fact that their fourth friend was nowhere to be found did not help the mood of three players in particular.

"So the negotiations are over today," Kaz said lamely, slumped over their table with a dejected look.

"Wonder what's gonna change." Peyton asked, playing with the collar of his thoroughly rumpled shirt.

"I hope it involves a shower," Sarah said darkly, her hair a shade darker than it was before.

"You and ninety nine percent of Chaotic." Kaz snapped before sighing. "We've really gotten into a great big fat _mess_ this time, haven't we?"

"One thing's for sure I guess, it's definitely going to be interesting from here on out." Peyton said.

As if just to prove his point, they heard startled chatter rise around them accompanied by a couple of surprised screams. All three kids started looking around in confusion just before an orange Mipedian with a bright red fringe one the sides of his neck suddenly appeared out of thin air behind Peyton. They didn't have to question who the Mipedian was, they'd met the Mipedian Stalker enough times to know that it was Siado.

It didn't make his sudden appearance any less surprising, which was why Sarah and Kaz both jumped a mile in their skins. Meanwhile Peyton didn't even react until Siado made his presence known.

"Hi Peyton."

"Hi Siado," Peyton replied automatically with a wave, while Sarah and Kaz gawked, before he went bug-eyed himself and whipped around. "SIADO!? What the Hell are you doing here?!"

"This is part of the arrangements our leaders and your Code Masters made." Siado explained. "There's going to be one creature from each tribe, on guard here in Chaotic, in case the M'arrillians try and pull anything again."

"Oh, y'know that's probably a really good idea." Peyton said thoughtfully.

"Anyway, aren't you guys one short?" Siado asked, gesturing a claw towards the empty seat next to Kaz where Tom would have been sitting if he were there. "Where's your other friend, the one that got attacked?"

"Tom, and we _think_ he's still in Kiru City." Kaz said.

"Dude's been awful quiet since the Code Masters first made their announcement." Peyton said before asking inquisitively, "Why do you ask?"

"Well there's a rumor that…" Siado began, when Kaz cut him off.

"Tom!"

The player in question wasn't too far away from their table, though he had his back turned on them as he spoke to Nebres. The champion looked like he was asking Tom about a scroll in his left hand before the human raised his right. Something about it must've startled Nebres because he jumped a bit before grinning and clapping Tom's shoulder.

Tom smiled back somewhat unsurely back before turning to head towards their table.

"Hey guys."

"Dude, what was that about?" Peyton asked as Tom took his seat across from him. "I didn't know you were friends with the three-time Perim Battle Royale champ."

"Um, I'm not, Nebres wanted to know if this scroll was what he thought it was." Tom explained, holding the scroll in question up. It was rather unassuming and simple, a bright blue ribbon tying it closed. However the broken golden seal of what was still recognizably the Overworld Mark gave its true importance away.

It was a message from Maxxor.

"And what did he think it was?" Kaz asked cautiously.

"Well, it's…"

"Wait, hold the phone Tom." Peyton suddenly cut him off. "Is what you're about to tell us something you're only supposed to tell us and not anybody else? Like is it okay if Siado hears?"

Peyton jabbed a thumb at the Mipedian behind him, who waved and Tom politely waved back.

"I guess so, I mean he's going to find out sooner or later." Tom said, before hunching over a bit with a pleading look. "But I'd rather if you didn't talk about it to anyone else for now. It's kind of personal."

Peyton promptly ducked down under the table and retrieved one of Krystella's bugs.

"How many of these things does she have?" Kaz demanded, Siado looking at it with interest, before the Underworld Player snapped, "Give it."

Peyton handed it over and Kaz dropped it on the ground before stomping on it, _hard_. The Underworld-Player smirked spitefully as Krystella jumped a mile in her seat, startling Klay, and practically tried to claw the ear bud out.

"Okay MajorT, you may proceed." Peyton declared as Kaz sat down, the redhead giving Krystella an obscene gesture when she glared in their direction.

"I…well, Najarin…he…and Maxxor…" Tom tried to begin before groaning, forehead landing on his forearm on the table as he used is other hand to gesture to the scroll. "Just read it."

Peyton was the one who grabbed the scroll first, clearing his throat and began reading in his best imitation of a pompous and stuffy voice,

"Official Documentation of-" Peyton read before dropping the act with a dramatic gasp, voice cracking half way through the last word, _"Overworld Citizenship!?"_

Sarah and Kaz both jumped and stared at Peyton with shock, Siado however barely widened his eyes.

"What?!" Kaz said as Peyton quickly mumbled his way through the first paragraph. His eyes were wide as he hunched with the paper closer to his face, and his voice was getting higher and higher until it cracked again near the end.

"I, Maxxor, Leader of the Overworld, _de-de-de-de-dah,_ recognize your achievements in aiding the Overworld tribe such as _–insert-long-ass-list-of-things-we-already-know-about–_ and hereby personally invite you to become an official member of the Overworld tribe?! HOLY FREAKIN-ARE YOU _SERIOUS_?"

Tom nodded his head.

"After the negotiations were over, Najarin gave me this and told me to think it over." Tom explained, raising his head to look at them. "Apparently, since they don't know what the Hell the M'arrillians want with humans, it'd be a good idea if they had at least one human on their side. And because Maxxor trusts me more than any other human he knows…he…well…"

He gestured feebly towards the document in Peyton's hands.

"Holy. Shit." Kaz almost wheezed out, shoulders slack and eyes like dinner plates. "I mean, we've _joked_ about it like a million times, but I never thought Maxxor'd _actually_ go through with it!"

"Dude this is huge!" Peyton exclaimed. "This has gotta be like a Chaotic First!_ And you knew about this?!"_

He suddenly rounded on Siado, pointing at him accusatorily.

"Sort of, they were talking about it during the negotiations that we should have a couple humans in the Alliance for the same reason your friend already explained." Siado explained. "I kind of figured he must be important to the Overworlders _somehow_ if Maxxor sent _Intress_ to rescue him."

"Also, it's rude to point," Siado chided, gently pressing Peyton's hand back down.

"Right," Peyton replied, turning back around in his seat with a sheepish look, "I guess it would make sense Maxxor'd ask Tom first."

"Tom, this is incredible!" Kaz said, "I can't believe you've seriously been asked to join the Overworlders."

"Uh huh, I'm going to be the first human Overworlder…_ever_." Tom said, numb with shock.

"Tom, I don't think you'll just be the first human Overworlder, you'll be the first human to actually join one of the tribes, period!" Kaz stated. "This isn't just a Chaotic first, this is literal Perim history!"

"So, what exactly is going to happen if and when you sign it?" Sarah asked.

"Um…" Tom said hesitantly, leaning back with an awkward grin as he scratched the base of his skull, "It's not a matter of if and when."

He gestured towards the document and Peyton unrolled it a bit more. There at the bottom in wobbly and blotchy handwriting was Tom's signature and a smear of blood next to it.

"You _already_ signed it?!" Sarah exclaimed incredulously, before angrily demanding as she slammed her hands on the table, "Did you even _think_ before you signed the damn thing!?"

"I got the 'damn thing' two days ago." Tom retorted sharply, suddenly losing his anxious tone and sitting up straighter. "Maxxor wanted me to stay in Kiru City where they could keep an eye on me until I made my decision. Y'know, so that no M'arrillians try to kidnap me while they aren't looking?"

"Oh," Sarah replied flatly, falling back in her seat, though she still did not look all that pleased.

"What's up with this smear of blood next to your name?" Kaz asked, squinting at the rust-red smear in the corner.

"Well, it kind of literally ties my blood with the tribe, and it also makes it so I can do this."

He raised his right hand, showing them the back of it just before the Overworld Mark suddenly appeared and started to glow, making the others jump.

"Whoa!"

_"Cool!"_ Peyton exclaimed.

"Is that what you were showing Nebres earlier?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, it's to prove I really am a member of the Overworld tribe," Tom explained, "Apparently other Overworlders originally from the other tribes can do the same thing. Like Hune Marquard, he was originally from the Danian tribe. Tang- _Heptadd_ can do it too."

"I always wondered how that worked." Peyton said.

"Alright, so I guess the question is, what's going to change from now on?" Sarah corrected.

"Well, I'm moving into my room at the arsenal, I'm going to have to get some new clothes since the ones on my back are all the ones I got and they're not exactly the best for fighting in." Tom began listing off, counting each change on his fingers, "Intress'll start training me in how to fight and stuff, somebody like Vidav'll probably be the one who teaches me how to read and write Perimian and history and all that…

"I'll probably start going on missions in a month or two…but during the time I'm not training or studying or going on missions I can come back and hang out with you guys…but that's probably how it's going to go until the transport center gets fixed. We'll have to come up with something when it does happen, but hey, baby steps."

He finished with a shrug; a bit anxious under the dumbstruck looks his friends were giving him.

"Wow. They're not screwing around, you really _are_ an Overworlder." Kaz said, eyes like dinner plates.

"Yeah," Tom agreed before taking back the scroll and getting up. "It's getting late, I should head back now. I just wanted to have a chance to tell you guys what was going on with me before things had a chance to take off."

"Um, okay," Kaz said, unsure how to react now. "See you later?"

"See you later." Tom said with a reassuring smile before adding, "I'm going to be fine you guys, stop looking so worried, okay?"

As he turned to leave Sarah appeared to have an inward debate, glaring at Tom's retreating back before getting up and running after him. She caught him just before he disappeared of to his home away from home, Kiru City.

"Tom, wait."

"Yeah?

"Are…are you _sure_ about this?" Sarah asked, concern in her tone. "This is kind of a huge decision."

"I can't exactly back out of it now, Sarah." Tom pointed out.

"I know but…are you sure this is really what _you_ want?" Sarah replied, emphasizing 'you' with a jab at Tom's shoulder. "That you're not just doing this because you're friends with Maxxor and you don't want to disappoint him?"

Lord knows what the boy had been willing to go through just to help Maxxor before he actually became friends with the green man.

Tom shook his head with almost no hesitation.

"I've been around Maxxor long enough to know he wouldn't hold it against me if I refused." Tom said confidently. "I'm doing this because I want to, and because I want to be able to find out what the M'arrillians are doing and put a stop to it first hand, instead of hearing about it like last time."

Sarah winced as a painful reminder of the last M'arrillian invasion came to mind. After the Mister E incident, Tom had been effectively shut out of anything involving the M'arrillians. Not because he was in trouble or anyone was angry with him, but because Maxxor hadn't wanted to give the M'arrillians another reason to go after Tom again, _directly_ this time.

And, honestly, when one considered the fact that Tom was still _technically_ the weakest member of Maxxor's inner circle, as _well_ as the hardest to keep track of, it wasn't an unfounded concern.

So after that, Tom had gotten no missions or information about anything involving Maxxor or the M'arrillians.

And it drove her friend up the _wall_ that nobody would tell him what was going on or what he could do to help. She was pretty sure that fact had a lot to do with why he chose to stay in Perim instead of heading to Chaotic during the climax.

"Okay…" Sarah said, apparently somewhat satisfied with his answer. She folded her arms with a sigh, giving her friend a pleading look, "Just…be _careful_. Okay? Just because the M'arrillians don't have their mind control anymore doesn't mean that they're still not a huge threat. And you've just basically painted a great big target on your back."

"I think I did that the moment I stabbed Milla'iin with Roxanne's knife." Tom said with a weary grin.

"Tom, I'm being serious!" Sarah snapped. "You're not just making yourself a target for the M'arrillians, but for any of the other tribes once this is over. Hell, despite his popularity, not every Overworlder likes Maxxor, he's _bound_ to have an enemy somewhere in his own tribe that isn't above attacking a kid. You could get seriously hurt, or _worse_."

"I'll be fine, Sarah," Tom assured her hands resting on her shoulders as he looked her straight in the eye. "Believe it or not I _do_ know how to look after myself, and even if I do get in over my head I've got Maxxor and Intress looking out for me. Aren't you always teasing me about how much they act like overprotective parents?"

Sarah couldn't help smiling at that. It was true that the two Overworlders did have a habit of acting overly paternal around Tom, though it wasn't obvious unless he A. screwed up royally or B. was in danger. She was glad for it in this case however, it was a lot more assuring to know that Tom had someone like them to keep an eye on him.

"Not to mention you, Kaz, and Peyton to depend on." He added with a grin. "It's going to be alright. I know it."

Even as he said it, Sarah could see the little squirm of doubt in his eyes. However, even with that ugly little doubt in the back of his mind, Tom looked a hell of a lot surer about what he was saying than the rest of Chaotic did about the situation entirely. It said a lot about how close Tom really was with the Overworld, that he could put so much faith in them in a situation like this.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Tom promised,

"See you," Sarah replied back, trying to smile but dropping it the moment Tom disappeared.

She had a funny feeling this was only just the beginning of 'human' creatures.

**_Meanwhile in a Secluded Corner of Chaotic_**

Siado had a report to make, staring down at the blue Communications Crystal in his hand. It was hardly something he had to keep secret, the other creatures inside of Chaotic had their own crystals in their pockets somewhere. It was to keep tabs on what was happening and if anything big came up.

Soon enough the sandy colored dragon-like face of Mudeenu appeared in it, glaring at Siado with blood red eyes.

"Well?" Mudeenu asked impatiently. "What do you have to report?"

"Your Highness, I've only been here for an hour but from what I can tell, all I'm seeing are a bunch of terrified kids." Siado said, glancing around with pity. "They have a lot of odd technology, but none of it is geared towards combat or defense, only for entertainment. There _was_ this eavesdropping device that Peyton found under their table, but I don't think that's something they normally have, if the fact that only one girl reacted when Kaz stomped on it was any indicator."

"Are there any humans behaving strangely?" Mudeenu pressed. "Like they're hiding something?"

"There are a lot of humans, but again, not from what I'm seeing. Anxious and confused seems to be the most common mood everyone is in." Siado said. "It'll take more time to know for sure, but as far as I can tell the M'arrillians have absolutely no reason to be doing any of this."

"But they _must._" Mudeenu insisted. "Otherwise they wouldn't be going to these lengths to trap these Players between Chaotic and Perim."

"I know that, but for the life of me I can't see what it is."

Mudeenu growled. He didn't care much for humans, but whatever the M'arrillians wanted with these children could mean nothing good for anyone else involved.

"There's…something else."

"What's that?"

"One of the children that was attacked, his name is Tom, apparently he was invited to join the Overworld Tribe."

"Yes, I remember discussing this with the Code Masters a few days ago. They were not very keen on the idea, but they did eventually agree to allow the older players to make their own decision." Mudeenu said thoughtfully, "and did he accept?"

"Has the mark and everything, didn't even try to hide it from me."

"Well, that's good at least. It means Maxxor isn't trying to go behind our backs on this." Mudeenu said, before making another growling noise. He didn't want to admit it, but the Overworld Leader might have the right idea with having at least one human under the Overworld's control. "Perhaps it may be a wise idea to claim a human for the Mipedians as well."

Siado impulsively glanced in Peyton's direction, the boy doing his best to keep his friends distracted by animatedly telling stories the Mipedian couldn't hear. There was a reason why Peyton was able to easily charm Mipedians into being his friends; creativity was a skill that air valued most. The fact that he just so happened to be friends with the human Overworlder only made him all the more perfect.

Which made the Mipedian worry more than anything else.

"That is something my Father will have to consider." Iflar's voice came in through the crystal, catching the other Mipedians' attention. "I just received a message from him."

Both the Prince and the Stalker felt their hearts stop for a moment. There was only one reason why the King of the Mipedians would send a message.

"King Theb-Sarr is coming home."

**_Mount Pillar_**

Queen Aszil's decision to lax their security in regards to humans was one she had yet to come to regret. It was a simple yet effective arrangement; Danians players were allowed in provided they had someone willing to look after them. Now they had an applicable means of keeping track of humans and what they were doing, and could stop wasting supplies, time, and energy trying to keep them out on top of everything else.

Even the more stubborn higher ups had to admit it was a nice change not having to worry about what the humans were getting up to without their knowledge.

She _had_ been surprised just how many Danians were willing to play chaperone to the humans that visited. But it wasn't an unpleasant one, just an interesting one.

Something that the other tribes tended to underestimate was how possessive Danians could be over what was rightfully theirs. After all, most Danians had the affinity for the element earth, and earth was the element of stubborn willpower. It did not change and it did not yield easily, and once something, or _someone_, belonged to one Danian, they belonged to the whole Hive.

This was something that Danian Players had yet to realize, but undoubtedly would very soon.

The M'arrillians were going to get another reminder as to why you should never mess with what belonged to the Danians. Claiming the M'arrillian's brightest and most powerful Fluidmorpher had been a direct retaliation to their taking of the Mount Pillar Reservoir. It was a prize that Aszil gleefully took pride in.

Although, right now she was none too happy with him.

"You are telling me," She said, being very, _very_ careful to keep her temper under control. "That you have absolutely _no_ idea as to what your former tribe is up to concerning Chaotic Players."

Aszil was smaller than her mother, thinner and a deep dark orange color with strips of aqua green decorated across her arms, legs, and stomach. Her large wings fanned out behind her, arching with orange, brown and clear strips. Apparently, she was very sinister looking, if the somewhat terrified reactions of players that actually see her were anything to go by.

"No, my Queen." The former M'arrillian said, brown wings fluttering uncomfortably. He sat in front of Queen Aszil and her Mother at the center of Queen's Gate, most of her tribe in attendance watching attentively. "I lost my connection with my former brothers and sisters the moment I became a Danian. I have no idea why they would be doing this. They had never really regarded humans with much interest before."

"How did they regard humans before?" She inquired, bright orange eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Annoying and bothersome. Weak, petulant brats that got in the way too much and contributed too little." Nunk'worn replied without hesitation. "They were useful for information but nothing else."

"Something obviously must have changed within the last moon or so, that was the time we infected him." Odu-Bathax said, the blue-shelled Danian rubbing his jaw with one of his four arms.

"But what? Nothing significant has happened in Chaotic, outside of the events of the last week." Lore replied.

"They must have discovered something we haven't," Raznus reasoned,

"And whatever it is, it _must_ benefit the M'arrillians somehow, or else they would not bother with humans." Nunk'worn added. "And if they don't get what they want before the two solans are up and the Code Masters repair the transport center, they might go to greater extremes."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"They might try to trap humans here permanently." Nunk'worn said, before adding almost offhandedly, "May already be planning to do that as we speak."

The Hive suddenly went very, _very_ quiet.

This did not surprise them in the least, in all honesty. The M'arrillians had already more than demonstrated their capacity for cruelty; they nearly committed mass genocide after all. Trapping a few hundred thousand of men, women, and children in a world they did not belong to nor did they understand was not beyond the Danians' comprehension. The fact that the arrangements they had decided upon could very well become permanent did not come as a shock.

It was _why_ that bothered them.

How could this possibly benefit the M'arrillians?

To what end was this all for?

"I think," Illexia, her mother's, elderly voice came in, speaking up for the first time. "It may be wise that we take at least one human into our tribe, not as Assimilated Danian, but as a human joining of their own volition."

"I agree." Queen Aszil stated. "Whatever the M'arrillians want with humans, there is no doubt in my mind that it will not end well for anyone. We should have at least one under our command. We might be able to turn it to our advantage, or at the very least put a stop to whatever the M'arrillians are planning. Are there any humans you were thinking of in particular, Mother?"

"There is one, actually." Illexia said, "If I recall correctly, her name is Sarah."

Wamma felt his heart take a plunge into his stomach.

He really should have known that girl was going to be the end of him one day.

**_Underworld City_**

Underworlders were possessive.

That was a fact of life.

They were the _"fire" _tribe after all, and it wasn't the element of possessive passion for nothing. Once they "claimed" something, or even someone, as theirs, they'd _kill_ to keep it. This was a fact that applied to most fire users, even Maxxor. There's a reason why the Overworld Leader's inner circle was small and carefully selected, and it was the same reason Chaor kept _his_ small and carefully selected.

They had to, it was a necessity. Having too many 'friends' meant too many possible targets for enemies. And anyone that wanted to be counted as a 'friend' had to _earn_ that right.

Kaz on the other hand, had sort of been an unexpected curveball.

In all honesty, even Chaor wasn't entirely sure why he liked the kid, he just did. By all logic the kid should annoy the ever-loving shit out of him, but he just somehow _didn't_. He liked having the kid around; he liked listening to him yammer on about past scan-quests or Chaotic Matches, or whatever was on his mind. He even felt a small victory when he realized the kid had stopped flinching and jumping at every growl or shout he, or other Underworlders, made.

If Chaor, Takinom, and Agitos were going to be honest, they all knew who they were going to offer to become a part of the Underworld. He was the only human that Chaor _liked_.

They'd have to go about it carefully. He was still human and still a kid, not to mention they also had to take into consideration the fact that Kaz's friends were loyal to the other tribes. Chaor hadn't really cared about that factoid up until he realized that despite not having the element, Kaz still had the behavioral habits of a fire user.

Namely, he was willing to do anything to protect what was _"his."_

That had become painfully obvious during the mission to break into the Overworld Arsenal.

During the mission, there had actually been a miscommunication between the Ruler of the Underworld and the player. To Chaor 'friend' was a meaningless word, or rather it was a sentimental one that implied softness and a weakness. A 'friend' was something for an enemy to _exploit_, and that was something no Underworlder could afford to have. Meaning that, to the Underworld, 'friends' were expendable. Something to be weary of, not something you got attached to.

So it wasn't until after Kaz had nearly screwed over the entire mission just to give his 'friends' a chance to get off the wall that Chaor realized a rather crucial detail: 'friends' had a much different meaning to humans than it did to Underworlders.

And that Kaz was willing to defy him if it meant protecting his friends.

That could become a problem in the future, and it was definitely something they had to consider.

Still, ultimately, there was no question or debate about who the first _'Human Underworlder'_ would be.

They just had to wait for a bit before confronting him with it.

Which, for once, Chaor did not have too much of a problem with.

Hovering over a tiny flame only succeeded in one of two things, getting yourself burned or smothering it. Confronting Kaz too quickly with the possibility of joining the Underworld when he was still reeling from the recent events was going to scare him off.

So if they had to back off and let Kaz have a chance to adjust and take in the situation, they'd do exactly that.

They had other things to worry about in the meantime.

**_Kiru City_**

Tom had already fallen asleep by the time Maxxor went to the arsenal to check on him. So the Overworld leader said nothing as he took the scroll from off the otherwise empty shelf across from where Tom lay dreaming. He took a moment, however, to glance at the messy signature and the smear of blood that tied the boy to his tribe from now on.

His eyes ran down the list of things that Tom had accomplished over the past two solans, almost tempted to shake his head. It was hard to believe sometimes that someone with no powers whatsoever could accomplish these kinds of feats. The boy could be outstandingly clever when he wanted to be, a trait highly valued in the Overworld.

He couldn't help but remember a rather silly debate he had with Intress about what elements Tom would have if he were a creature, with him arguing for earth and her for water. She had actually won that discussion, since Maxxor couldn't very well deny the fact that Tom was extremely clever. Said ingenuity had been what had saved his and many other Overworlders' lives after all. That and while the boy could be stubborn when he wanted to be, it was nothing in comparison to the stubbornness common with earth-users.

Maxxor sighed, rolling up the scroll with a soft smile to himself. He'd be lying if he said there wasn't a part of him glad to drop the 'honorary' part of Tom's membership in his tribe. Although he still very much wished it could have happened when the boy was much, _much_ older and not under these kinds of circumstances.

When he left that room to file the document safely away, he had no idea the wheel he had just set into motion. He _wouldn't_ know until almost a solan later, when he'd discover the dream Tom had that night and every other night afterwards.

The M'arrillians weren't the only forces with a hidden agenda at work.

And these forces had just claimed their first, but most certainly not last, human.


End file.
